Al Sah-Him or Oliver Queen
by angelikussnape
Summary: This takes place in an alternate universe after season 3 episode 19 of the Arrow. Oliver's sister Dies and Ra's has forced his hand to be the next Ra's Al Ghul. What will happen next?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

It had all been his fault. Now, Roy was gone and the Arrow in which he gave his life to was dead. Oliver was lost and even though Felicity said that he was the man that she believes in, he did not know what to do next. He decided to come home to the loft to think this over and check in on Thea to tell her that Roy is alive and is gone for the meantime until he could find a way to clear Roy's name from the police.

He turned the knob and opened the door of the loft and instantly saw shattered glass from the kitchen area. His heart was racing because he was nervous. He wished that what he thought was not what happened and that Malcolm's warning about someone dying that was close to him was not true.

He turned around and saw Thea, lying on the white carpet and through a glass table that was near their fireplace. Oliver rushed towards her in a frenzied state and immediately checked on her pulse. It was still there, but it was very faint. He called 911 to go get help using his smartphone.

"Stay with me, Speedy!" he said as he frantically performed CPR on a non-moving, and almost lifeless Thea. He could not stand to lose someone from his family again. The thought of losing his last family member would kill him. As with all the things in his life, he blamed himself. If he was not stubborn and just accepted Ra's offer, Thea would not have been in this situation in the first place.

A few minutes later and the paramedics arrived. Oliver moved away from Thea to allow the paramedics to do their job and bring her to the nearest hospital. He was shedding tears and was pacing back and forth in a state of panic, fear and probably loss. Once Thea was placed in a gurney, he followed the paramedics onto the ambulance.

It was not a long trip, but for Oliver, it seemed like ages. He was once again sitting there and unable to do anything. He was helpless and he hated being helpless. He always wants to do something to help the people that he cared about, but, right here and now, all he can do is wait and trust in Thea's strength and fortitude to return to him and his friends.

As soon as they reached the hospital and Thea was placed on an actual hospital bed, she flat lined. The hospital tried to revive her but it was to no avail. Thea Queen is dead. As the doctors pronounced it, Oliver Queen was devastated. Once again he failed someone that he cared for deeply. He could not believe it, he did not want to believe it. All he knew was that he needed air and time to think of a way to save her sister's life. He was determined not to lose his sister to his crusade after losing both of his parents.

As he went outside in the darkness and moved away from the hospital, a man appeared. This man he knew a long time ago but was a stranger to him now.

"You can still save her, Oliver. Ascend to the calling of Ra's Al Ghul and you can return your sister back to life." Maseo said as he stepped out of the shadows.

Oliver remembered the Lazarus Pits in which Maseo was describing. He saw its healing effects when Ra's Al Ghul was making a very compelling pitch to him to take his place. Oliver stood there, quietly, but his mind was going a hundred miles a minute. Was he willing to save Thea's life at the risk of his soul? Would he really be able to live with himself knowing that Thea was dead because of his own stubbornness? He took his time as a million questions flooded through his brain. After letting it stew for a while and all answers pointing to one thing, he looked at Maseo and said,

"Yes. I accept the call to become Ra's Al Ghul." Oliver said with determination in his face but defeat and sadness in his eyes.

"My master would be pleased." Maseo replied without any kind of emotion.

"Let me get my affairs in order and I will meet you and Ra's Al Ghul at Nanda Parbat." Oliver told Maseo.

"Yes, of course, Warith Al Ghul." Maseo now said, but with a different tone. It was a tone of deference and respect, as if Maseo served as his slave or disciple.

"Warith Al Ghul?" Oliver inquired.

"It means Heir to the Demon." he said before slinking back into the shadows of this fateful and starless night.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Oliver returned to the hospital and found Diggle and Felicity waiting for him. Felicity rushed over and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry." She said while her arms were wrapped around his.

He held her close and allowed her to hear his heartbeat. Oliver's tears began to fall but he did not say anything. He did not want her to know what he had done. Not yet anyways. He loved her so much and now it pains him to see that his decision would mean possibly losing her forever. He gave a deep sigh and moved away from her.

"There is a way that I could save her." He said with a heavy heart and some tears flowing down his face.

"But… that's not possible 'cause she's dead," replied Felicity.

All of a sudden the door to Thea's hospital room opened and it was Malcolm Merlyn.

"There is indeed a way." Malcolm said with sadness in his eyes due to her daughter's death. "The League offered you the Lazarus Pit didn't they." he continued.

"Lazarus Pit? What did he mean by that Oliver?" Felicity asked confused and quite afraid as to where this conversation was going. She understood perfectly well what would happen to Oliver if he was allowed to use the Lazarus Pit.

Oliver did not respond to the question so Malcolm answered her question instead.

"The Lazarus Pit has magical healing abilities. It is even said that this pit could even bring the dead to life."

"It's true I've seen it." He said as he looked down and shuffled his feet.

"I don't agree with your decision Oliver." Malcolm Merlyn said which surprised both Diggle and Felicity. They can't believe that they agreed with Malcolm for a change. They always see Malcolm as this monster without a heart and this statement was quite unbelievable to hear from Malcolm Merlyn of all people.

"The Pit changes people in the soul, Oliver. The Thea that comes back might not be the Thea that you remember. I'd rather let her die that subject her to the Pit, for her sake." He continued.

"God help me but Malcolm's right, Oliver. I can't let you do this man." Diggle then said as he frantically tried to change Oliver's mind.

"The decision has been made. I wish for Thea to continue on with her life even if it means giving up my own." Oliver said as he tried to look resolute about his decision as he could. He already said his decision to Maseo and he was not going to take it back. If he did, who knows what might happen. The League of Assassins could further hurt the ones he loves and he was not going to be responsible for that. Oliver was not going to be responsible for losing more of the people that he loves.

"Oliver, there must be another way!" Felicity answered in a state of panic. She doesn't want to lose Oliver now that she was getting a clearer idea of the person she truly and deeply loves.

"There is no other way." Oliver answered. "Ra's has won." He said and he walked away to prepare for the trip to Nanda Parbat.

"I'm coming with you. You need a jet and someone needs to get Thea home if this works." Felicity replied as Oliver was on his way out of the hospital to get his things ready.

"I can't let you do that." Oliver replied. The last thing that he wanted was to put Felicity in harm's way and having her in front of a bunch of extremely deadly assassins would not be such a good idea.

"It's my life. It's my choice." Felicity answered. In her mind, if Oliver was going to join the League of Assassins in exchange for Thea's life, she was going to be there with him every step of the way. She was not ready to lose him now that she understands her feelings for him.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Nyssa was walking through the streets of Starling City when Sarab appeared in front of her. Nyssa had been in Starling ever since she was rejected by her father. She felt that she had lost everything after she found out that her inheritance has been given to an outsider. She honestly thought that she was the "Heir to the Demon" and blames Oliver for usurping her. She also blames her own father for not accepting Ta-er al-Safar as her beloved which cost her everything.

"Your father commands your presence, Nyssa." Maseo said with conviction. He did not have to respect Nyssa that much anymore now that she was no longer 'heir'.

"What for?" she said, with indifference. After all, her father has all but rejected her.

"Al Sah-him is coming home and your father wants to give him a warm welcome." Sarab replied and waited for Nyssa's answer.

"I will fulfill my duties to the League." She replied and after this Sarab disappeared into the shadows to return to Nanda Parbat and prepare for Al Sah-him's arrival.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Ray Palmer was in his office tinkering with his suit using his computers when Felicity knocked and entered.

"Oh, Hi Felicity!" he said with his usual pleasant, happy and excited demeanor. However, when he saw the creases in her eyebrows and forehead, he knew something was going on and said, "Is everything alright? 'Cause you have that crease in your eyebrows that tell me that things are not alright."

"Ray, I need to ask you a favor, a big one." Felicity said as she was not sure how to go about telling him that she was going away with Oliver to Nanda Parbat because of his now dead sister.

"Last time you asked for a big favor, you asked to borrow my helicopter." Ray replied.

"I don't need your helicopter. This time, I need your jet. Well, me and Oliver need it because something awful happened. It's not what you think." Felicity said as an afterthought. She always had a knack of saying the wrong things at the wrong time.

"Well, if you're going away with him on my jet, then it's exactly what I think." Ray replied. Ever since the goodbye to Roy, Ray realized that Felicity was in love with someone else and then and there he decided that he would not stand in the way of that love. He, however, still hoped that Felicity and he would remain friends after this ordeal.

"I mean, I should have known. From the way that you defended him when I thought he was out killing people, to the hospital when I said 'I love you' and you responded with Jell-O, and the way that you looked at Oliver as you said goodbye to Roy. I should have realized then that you don't actually love me because you're in love with HIM." Ray continued, heartbroken, but willing to accept that when it came to Felicity as of this moment, he had no chance against a man like Oliver Queen.

"I'm sorry" Felicity said and she was sincere. She did not want Ray to be hurt because of her actions, which, in this case, she was sure that it is exactly what happened. She then continued to say, in an attempt to comfort him as well as let him down as gently as she could, "I truly am. I didn't want you to get hurt, and you might not be able to believe me but you're the last person I ever wanted to hurt."

Ray understood. He did not need Felicity to spell it out for him just as Felicity thought that she did not need to say that they are breaking up. With a deep sigh, Ray finally said to her "Take the jet and I hope that the awful thing that happened would stop being awful."

"Thank you, Ray." Felicity said before leaving Palmer Technologies in preparation for the long trip to Nanda Parbat.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Laurel was at her apartment, reading some court briefs and munching on fries when Nyssa entered. Nyssa went straight to the bedroom and began packing up her things.

"What's going on?" Laurel asked as soon as she heard scuffling from the bedroom and saw Nyssa packing up her stuff.

"To welcome home the new 'Heir'" Nyssa said with a mocking tone in her voice. She had never really accepted Oliver as her replacement but she was neither ready nor willing to go up against the League of Assassins.

"The new 'Heir'?" asked Laurel. She did not know what was going on but maybe she would be able to get answers. After all, Nyssa asked if she could stay with her because her father and Nyssa had a falling out, so to speak, maybe Laurel could get Nyssa to open up and tell her what was going on.

"My father finally got his wish. Oliver Queen has finally accepted to become my father's heir." Nyssa said as she walked out the door and on her way to Nanda Parbat. With this revelation, Laurel was shocked at Oliver's decision and also allowed her to understand the falling out between Nyssa and her father.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Oliver packed up his things after he got word that Felicity was able to borrow Ray's jet. He was at the loft with a lifeless Thea on the couch. He looked at her with a broken heart and gave a deep sigh. Even though in Oliver's mind, Thea looked peaceful as she laid there lifeless, his heart could not accept that she was gone. This concept of non-acceptance was the one that landed him to accept Ra's offer and he was determined to see this through if only to see Thea one day, alive and kicking. He then carried his bag and a lifeless Thea in his arms and proceeded to the designated tarmac wherein Ray's jet was waiting for them to leave.

As he was walking towards the plane, he heard the voice of Malcolm Merlyn.

"Oliver, stop. Look, I know that my actions are not the actions of a loving father but I do love her and I would rather see her remain dead than subject her to the pit." Malcolm said with fear in his eyes. Clearly, something was going on if Malcolm was scared to death about using the Lazarus Pit.

Oliver, however, did not have time for this and Malcolm's words are falling on deaf ears. With a deep sigh, as an indication of annoyance and bracing himself not to get angry at Malcolm's pleading, he said, "Get on the plane, Malcolm." with a tinge of authority which made Malcolm obey and continued on walking silently towards the plane to Nanda Parbat. Once they were all inside the plane, the doors were shut and Oliver was off to face his destiny.

As the jet flew on their way to Nanda Parbat, Oliver was sitting near one of the windows and brooding while looking out the window of the jet. He was thinking of the decisions he has made so far as soon as he returned from Starling City and whether or not it was all worth it. As he was brooding, Felicity entered with a blanket as she noticed that Oliver was chilly even though Oliver himself did not even realize that he was cold.

Felicity then said, "You look chilly", she said before sniffing the blanket and handing the blanket over to Oliver. Oliver received the blanket gladly, sniffed it himself before placing the blanket onto his lap and said "Thanks." to Felicity who now sat in front of him.

"Thank you for allowing me to be here for you." Felicity said to Oliver. She was actually glad that Oliver allowed her to be there for him during this time. Having your one and only relative dead in front of you was hard to take knowing that basically your entire family died in front of you. Felicity understood that Oliver needed her right now and she was going to keep that light inside of Oliver alive.

"You're welcome" said Oliver realizing that Felicity now sat inches away from him. Felicity was looking at him with pity and this made Oliver ache inside. He wants to be with Felicity but knowing the life he leads and how dangerous his circumstances are, it was not possible to have a relationship with anyone. However, who knows what would happen next and he was glad to share something with Felicity while they were on the plane.

"You know how I hardly tell anyone about the five years that I was away?" Oliver started, with a bit of a hesitation. He was not used to telling anyone about his 5 year journey towards what he has become today.

"If you mean "almost nothing at all" then yeah." Felicity replied and interested in what he has to say. She wanted to know more about the man that she loves and it looks like he was willing to share. She was not going to be in the way of that.

A slight smile flashed across Oliver's face. He was actually glad that Felicity was able to make him smile and relieve him of his grief for a while. Maybe that was why he loved her so much. It was her ability to shed light on his grim existence, especially in cases where he needs it the most. After he got his bearings back, he continued on with his grim story.

"I came back to Starling City before they found me on the Island," he said starting his story off. "While I was there, I saw Thea. She had a drug problem." He continued and he was choking up. Clearly, this was a clear indication of how much he really loved his sister. "So I, confronted her dealer. I broke the dealer's neck, because I was angry. Sure. But I also did it because I was trying to protect my sister. I always wanted to protect my sister." He said lost in thought. As he was telling his story, Felicity realized how much Oliver loves his sister and Oliver's capacity to love someone which made her love him even more. She was not even shy to show him with a look of concern and love on her face as she continued to look at Oliver as he was telling his story.

"Malcolm told me what would happen… but I never thought…" Oliver finally stated but was unable to continue on. The pain is still too much for him to bear. Felicity touched his upper thigh and to Oliver, her touch seemed warm and fuzzy.

After composing himself, he then said, "I saw you while I was in Starling too. You were talking to yourself inside my dad's office. You said that I was cute." he then smiled that cute smile with the dimples towards Felicity which made Felicity blush red with embarrassment.

~o~o~o~o~o~

It was night and the stars and moon were shining brightly as they arrived at an airstrip located around a mile from Nanda Parbat. As soon as they arrived they were met by league assassins.

"It seems that the League knows that we're here" said Diggle as he carried his and Oliver's bags while Oliver carried his lifeless sister.

"Guess so," he replied as they stepped of the plane.

"Ra's Al Ghul is waiting for you Al Sah-him" one of the assassins said to him in a respectful manner. It seems that the league already knows that he has accepted the offer.

"Take me to him" Oliver said, more of a command than a request. With that they followed the assassins towards Nanda Parbat.

After a mile walk, what Oliver and team Arrow saw was a sight to behold. Thousands upon thousands of assassins showed up in front of the league headquarters. Some of them were carrying torches, while some of them held the banners of the league.

"What is that?" Felicity asked mesmerized by what she was now seeing.

Oliver took a deep breath before replying to her, "It's the league".

Then, the middle of the formation parted and there was Ra's Al Ghul, flanked by his daughter Nyssa Al Ghul, Maseo Yamashiro, also known as Sarab, and a woman in some sort of ancient priestess clothing. Looking at them from afar, the Ra's family looked regal as they walked gracefully through their subordinates. When they finally reached the head of the contingency, Ra's spoke.

"Welcome home Al Sah-him, heir to the Demon" and as soon as he said this, one by one, the League of Assassins bowed down in front of Oliver until only Ra's Al Ghul and Nyssa were the only ones standing. Nyssa was not happy when she heard 'Heir to the Demon' attached to 'Al Sah-him's" name. It was her birthright and now, she was being forced by his evil father to hear her birthright being literally given to another. As they waited for Oliver and his team to approach her, she gave Oliver a look of disgust and unworthiness to the mantle being given to him by her father. One day, she would prove her worth, but for the meantime, she had to play along.

Oliver slowly approached them realizing that there was no turning back now. He was going to give up everything to save Thea and protect his loved ones. Team Arrow followed him but instead of resignation that Oliver was going to join the League, the rest of Team Arrow showed faces of defiance. They were not going to easily let Oliver go without a fight.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Once inside the monastery type building that is the League of Assassins headquarters, they all proceeded to the Temple reserved for ritualistic ceremonies. The League of Assassins headquarters was something akin to the medieval times wherein the halls and rooms were lit by candles and torches and the walls themselves were made out of cold stone. The temple was no different and it is here that we find one of the Lazarus Pits that Ra's himself uses for his own purposes.

_"We need to prepare her for the ritual." _Sarab said as two assassins approached Oliver who was still holding a lifeless Thea. Oliver stepped back and looked apprehensive. He was not going to let go of Thea because who knows what these unknown assassins would be doing to her once they have her. Sensing Oliver's apprehension, Sarab gently nudged the two assassins aside so that he came face to face with Oliver before saying,

_"I'll treat her as my own family."_

Upon hearing this, Oliver relented and finally gave up Thea's body to Sarab. If there was anyone he could trust in the League of Assassins, it was Sarab. After all, both of them have a history with one another which led to their friendship, not to mention it was Sarab who helped save him when he was stabbed and kicked off the mountain by Ra's Al Ghul.

As Sarab left with Thea's body in order to prepare her for the upcoming ritual of her resurrection, Ra's then said,

_"You must be tired and famished. Al-Sahim, you will join me and my daughter for supper tonight while my servants would deliver the supper of your friends to their rooms. Once Sarab returns, you will be shown to your quarters as will your friends."_

As soon as Ra's said this, Sarab entered the Temple again and upon seeing him, Ra's then commanded,

_"Sarab, please take Al Sah-him to the palace of the Al Ghuls and his new living quarters beside my own." _Ra's then motioned for three assassins to move forward which they did. _"Provide comfortable quarters for Al Sah-him's friends and deliver dinner to them later." _The assassins then shepherded Malcolm, Felicity and Diggle towards their respective rooms while Oliver went with Sarab towards his own quarters.

As they were walking towards the torch-lit halls that led to his room in silence, Oliver noticed that whenever he approached guards or other assassins in his vicinity, they would bow down to him and would not return to their former positions until he had passed. The other assassins that were walking would stop dead in their tracks, bow down to him and would only resume walking after he had passed.

_"Is this going to be a regular thing for me going forward?" _Oliver inquired actually curious at the behavior of the assassins whenever he was around them.

_"It is customary for the assassins to bow down to their lords. Since you became Ra's heir, they now have to respect you almost the same way they respect the family of the Ra's." _Sarab replied before they reached a wooden door with a golden doorknob. It was the second doorknob after a long corridor with several rooms that housed the Al Ghul's through the centuries.

_"This will be your quarters until you become Ra's Al Ghul" _Sarab said and opened the door to his new room. The room was magnificent. It was like a room where royalty would stay in. The room was lit by candles and covered with red and gold lining. The bed itself was made of gold and covered with red sheets and fluffy red colored pillows. There were also several golden sofas and couches in the room, all covered in red furnishings and pillows as well. The floor is covered in red velvet carpet that matched the rest of his room. There is also an expensive looking chandelier in the middle of the room. There is a huge balcony in his room that overlooked Nanda Parbat and the mountains beyond as well as his own personal, and spacious, bathroom with a huge porcelain bathtub lit by candles.

_"I shall return once supper is ready, my lord" _Maseo said before bowing to Oliver and leaving his room.

This gave Oliver some time to think. What was going to happen now? How in the hell is he going to get out of the situation he was now in? He really did not have a plan aside from getting Thea to the Lazarus Pit and now that he was going to be 'Heir to the Demon' he really did not know what was to become of him next.

He had no idea of how much time had passed when Maseo returned to his chambers and said to him, "_Ra's Al Ghul requests your presence at the dining hall" _and this prompted Oliver to stop his thinking for a while and try to play along. That is, until he can think of a plan to get himself out of this without hurting his friends and family in the process.

Upon reaching the dining hall, there was a long table at the end where Oliver saw that Ra's Al Ghul had already been seated. On his left sat Nyssa, who did not look pleased as she saw him. _This is going to be awkward, _Oliver thought in his head as he walked towards them while Sarab left him with Ra's and Nyssa.

Ra's then noticed his presence and said to him "_Come. Sit here at my right side. After all you are my heir." _Oliver heeded Ra's request. After all, it was not really a request but a command and if he did not follow, who knows what would happen to his friends while they were here.

_"Eat. I know you must be famished." _Ra's Al Ghul said in a very casual manner. As Oliver was now dining with the man who basically killed his sister to reach his own means, he realized that he was going to have a lot of trouble with this man as he really can't predict Ra's Al Ghul. He realized then and there that he had to be patient and play along in order for him to get out of his predicament.

The table spread was like that of kings when other kings from other kingdoms go to visit. Oliver thought it was excessive and said, _"Really, you did not have to prepare a feast like this for me." _

_"You are finally home Al Sah-Him. This is only the beginning. I have prepared a celebration in your honor with the assassins that you will lead in the future after your sister's revival." _Ra's then said to him in response.

When Oliver said feast, it was really a feast and the theme of the food seem to be Arabic in Nature. There was Hummus (a type of chickpea spread), pita bread, Manakeesh (Arabic pizza), Shish Tawook (skewered chicken dish), Masgouf (slow cooked Carp served with Lemon and Pickles), Knafe (a type of cheesecake), and Baklava (Buttery filo pastry, chopped nuts, sweet syrup and honey dressing) among others.

As Oliver started eating, Nyssa then said to his father in quite a sarcastic tone, _"The assassins were not honored a celebration when I was initially named as your HEIR, father." _She particularly emphasized on the word "heir" when she said this. It would seem that Nyssa still held on to the belief that she should have been heir and felt offended by this decision by her father.

Oliver, trying to diffuse the situation, started to change the topic. He did not want to get into the concept of being "Heir to the Demon" just yet. However, he was curious as to what would happen to him next, he thought better to ask and then said, "_After my sister's ritual and the celebration, what's going to happen next?" _

_"You will be branded and bloodied as part of your naming Al Sah-Him. After which you will be transformed and trained by myself, my daughter, and Sarab." _Ra's said as he took a bite of the Manakeesh that he had in his hand.

_"Father, I do not wish to train Al Sah-Him." _Nyssa said in defiance. She absolutely did not want to train a man that usurped her in the position that should have been hers to begin with.

_"You wish to return to Starling City then?" _Ra's then asked her. However, Ra's really did not need a reply and Nyssa really did not give him one. "_Very well then, Ubu will take Nyssa's place as one of your trainers."_

They ate in silence after this, and as soon as they were done, they were approached by Sarab and said, _"My lords, the priestess said that the ritual is ready to begin."_

_"We will be right there, Sarab." _Ra's said before he stood up which prompted that Nyssa and Oliver do the same. Then they all proceeded to the temple to begin Thea's resurrection.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

As soon as they reached the temple, Oliver saw assassins littered the room and as they parted to make way for Ra's and Oliver. Nyssa, said she'd rather not attend and Ra's granted her wish. At the end of the room, Oliver saw that the Lazarus Pit was surrounded by candles and there was a table where Thea lied, in a white dress, on top of a platform with four pulleys and three of them were being held at the end by Diggle, Malcolm and Sarab. It seemed to Oliver that he was to take the fourth pulley beside Sarab.

After Oliver took his place, the priestess began the ceremony. She was speaking in Arabic for the most part and then the chants started from the assassins as Ra's Al Ghul looked on. They began pulling the pulleys and moving upward the stairs located around the pit which allowed Thea to move closer to the waters of the Lazarus Pit. Once Thea was exactly above the waters, Oliver, Maseo, Diggle, and Malcolm slowly released the ropes which lowered Thea onto the water.

Once Thea was completely submerged, the priestess ordered the assassins to stop their chants. All of a sudden the ropes quickly started to unfurl which made Oliver, Maseo, Diggle, and Sarab to let go of the rope. As Oliver was scanning the pit trying to look for her sister, a woman jumped out of the pit and kicked him hard in the stomach which caused him to fall on his back. This woman was screaming feral and primal screams as she crouched at the end of the Lazarus Pit. It was Thea, but it was not really Thea. At the moment, this person was feral, dangerous and animalistic as she pounced on Oliver again. As soon as she was on top of Oliver, two assassins had to restrain her while the priestess soaked a dart into some kind of powdered mixture and injected Thea with it which immediately made her unconscious.

She fell into Oliver's arms and he caught her before he carefully lied her down in front of him. Ra's then approached them both before saying, _"I've upheld my end of the bargain. It's now time to make peace with yours." _and leaving Oliver as he carried Thea towards one of the rooms that was designated for her.

~o~o~o~o~o~

While Thea was asleep, Oliver went to Ra's in order to get some answers. He was furious and worried at what he saw. Who could blame him? He just basically saw her sister turn into a rabid animal. He then stormed to the main hall and saw Ra's Al Ghul who seemed to be waiting for him.

_"I know that you have a lot of questions, Al Sah-Him." _Ra's started to say in order to release the tension.

_"I'm listening." _Oliver replied waiting for Ra's to give an explanation to the status of her sister.

_"Reviving people to life using the Lazarus Pit is risky. Its effects are different depending upon each person who uses it. Some people are calm and collected while some people who are resurrected are fierce and animalistic. However, once they are sedated and wake up from their slumber they would return to their normal state but would be confused about a lot of things. However, these confusions would pass and your sister would be returned to you soon." _Ra's then explained in a calm manner as if he knew what exactly is going on with Oliver's sister.

_"Now, go back to your sister and set your affairs in order for tonight and join me later for your 'welcome home' celebration." _Ra's said as a command, under the pretense of a request. Ra's has perfected this art to a tee due to his centuries old existence. Oliver then returned to Thea's quarters waiting for the time for Thea to awaken.

Oliver returned to Thea's quarters in the exact moment that she opened her eyes and was startled at what she saw. It seemed to Oliver that Thea did not know most of the people in the room with her. He rushed over to her bedside before saying, _"It's okay, you're okay. I'm here."_

_"I don't know you." _Thea struggled to say as she was still confused as to what was going on.

Oliver knew that Thea might react this way after his conversation with Ra's Al Ghul, so he had to be patient with her. Taking a deep breath, he then said, "_Hey, it's me. It's Ollie."_

_"But Ollie's dead. Dad?" _Thea then said and looked towards Malcolm who was at Thea's other side of the bed opposite Oliver.

_"Yes, I'm here. You're safe. We're safe." _Malcolm stated, trying to assure Thea that they were okay even though he was unsure of their status at the moment. Malcolm knew of Ra's shifting tempers and various mood swings that make it difficult for him to predict whether or not they were really safe while they were at Nanda Parbat. However, he looked at Oliver as an insurance policy. None of them was going to get hurt at the moment if Ra's really wants to have Oliver as his heir. Still, they need to be careful while they were here.

"_Where's mom?" _Thea then inquired. Moira has been dead for a year now but no one would tell her anything about this due to the unpredictability of her exposure to the pit, but they needed to give her some kind of answer so Malcolm Merlyn gave her one.

_"Your mom's not here, Thea. Get some rest." _He said as he tucked Thea to bed to allow her to sleep.

_"I love you dad." _She replied and followed her father's advice.

Once Thea was asleep, Malcolm then said to Oliver in an angry tone, "_Do you realize what you've done?"_

_"Yes. I just saved her life, Malcolm." _Oliver replied in response annoyed at his tone. After all, it was his actions that had just saved Malcolm's daughter and this kind of tone made Oliver think that Malcolm was ungrateful for his sacrifice.

"_She thinks Moira is still alive."_

_"She'll be fine. Ra's said that the confusion would pass."_

_"How can you be sure that she'll be fine?" _Malcolm said as he and Oliver continued on their argument.

"_Because you, Diggle, and Felicity are going to be there for her." _Oliver then said as he continued to argue with Merlyn.

Felicity had been silent as she listened to both of these men argue about Thea. However, Oliver's statement about him not being there for Thea snapped her out of her silence. It would seem that Oliver has really resigned himself to stay at Nanda Parbat and that the two of them would once again be parted from one another. This, she could not take and because her mouth has no filter sometimes, she then said, _"And what is that worth?"_

Oliver turned to her realizing what he just said. He basically accepted the fact that he was not going back with the others to Starling City and since Felicity knew him so well and that he also knew Felicity so well, he replied in a voice specifically for her, _"Felicity…"_

_"This is wrong. It is just wrong." _Felicity continued and quickly stormed out of Thea's room. In Felicity's mind, Ra's Al Ghul is a monster that is forcing Oliver to give up his own life as replacement for his sister. She is now realizing the harsh reality that she is slowly losing Oliver to the League forever, and she was having none of it. She is going straight to Ra's Al Ghul to give him a piece of her mind, consequences be damned…


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you everyone for reading the chapters up to this point. This is going to entail a lot of chapters because I really wanted to get into the character's heads and flesh them out as much as I can. I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them for you. So now, I present to you the seventh chapter of this installment. ****J**

CHAPTER 7

Ra's Al Ghul was conversing with Sarab when Felicity stormed in to break up their conversation.

_"Hey! I need to talk to you!" _She said with fire and determination in her eyes as well as her tone of voice. She was not intimidated by Ra's Al Ghul. Maybe she was being naïve or stupid, or maybe she was trying to prove her strength and fortitude due to her love for Oliver, or maybe it was just adrenaline pumping through her veins, but she was not afraid to face the man called "Demon's Head" which, by all accounts, is justifiably so because he was just so intimidating.

_"What you are doing to Oliver is perverse… what you're making him do and I will not stand by and let this happen!" _she continued still irate at the fact that Ra's Al Ghul was making Oliver give up his life to him.

Ra's, however, was amused by this girl. He perceived that this girl has wit and a fire within her which reminded him of his former love, a long time ago. Instead of trying to kill her, knowing that this anger and frustration from her was coming from love towards Oliver, and the fact that Oliver might back down from their agreement if this girl was hurt, he instead turned to Sarab and said, _"Leave us."_

Sarab, then bowed, and before leaving the room, he gave Felicity a curious look as if he was thinking that Felicity was crazy and asking for a death wish.

Once Ra's Al Ghul and Felicity were alone, Ra's then said to Felicity, _"You have a great fire within you. I can see now why Oliver loves you as much as he does."_

_"If you know what love is, you would not be ripping Oliver away from his friends and family." _Felicity replied.

_"I am merely helping him fulfill his destiny." _Ra's said in response. Ra's really has a strong belief in the League's prophesies and would go to great lengths to fulfill them, even if it means going to extreme measures like killing his new heir's sister.

_"I know of the "survive my sword" prophecy and I could really give a damn." _Felicity replied having a different point of view. She was not really a prophecy or superstitious kind of woman and she couldn't care less about the League's beliefs. She could not and would not lose Oliver because of some prophecy to this man and she was sure not shy to inform him of it.

_"Me, John, and god help me Malcolm are not gonna let this happen and we have means and resources and we are willing to go to war to get Oliver back." _She said, more out of desperation than anything. Of course they have all of this but she knew in her heart that they have no chance against the League. However, desperate love can make you say and do stupid things and at this point, Felicity's love for Oliver is desperate and currently grasping at straws. She was struggling to let Oliver go.

Ra's Al Ghul, the perceptive man that he is, knew that Felicity was struggling with her desperation and letting go of her loved one. Ra's understands this sentiment after living for centuries and experiencing a lot of things during his lifetime. In order to diffuse the situation and help Felicity come to grips that he now owns Oliver, he decided to tell a story of his own.

_"Many lifetimes ago, I loved a woman immeasurably, and she loved me. We were bound by love and matrimony and had a son and a daughter. I felt that I was the luckiest man in the world for my life was bliss. One day, man appeared at my door and offered me a choice: To come with him quietly, or to see my wife and children tortured and then killed. And I left without a farewell and to spare them pain, I endured an agony worse than death." _

Felicity was taken aback, she did not expect this from a man like Ra's. She had always known Ra's as a stone hard killer and thinking that this man had a wife and children prior to joining the League gave her a new perspective of the man's character. However, she will not falter in her stance and called out Ra's with her opinion about the story that was told. _"It sounds like you gave up too easily."_

Ra's then said, in order to help Felicity realize her situation, _"If there's one immutable truth about life, it is often cruel more than it is fair. And all your posturing and threats of war will merely delay the inevitable and will cause you to forfeit the opportunity that you have which was denied me. You need to tell Oliver goodbye, tell him how much you love him. Do whatever your heart needs to express and do it now before he is lost to you forever." _He then looked into her eyes for a moment, remember the time wherein he was not able to say goodbye to his own family before walking away, leaving Felicity to her sorrows.

As for Felicity, she was heartbroken at the inevitability of her situation. She was going to lose Oliver and there was some truth to Ra's words about life being cruel. Maybe she needed to say goodbye to Oliver. Maybe, she was indeed going to lose him forever. Her heart is not ready to let her love go but her mind is coming to grips with the fact that Oliver was going to give his own life to Ra's Al Ghul to protect everyone that he cares about. She decided to use her head and go to Oliver's quarters. Felicity did not want to leave Oliver feeling that she did not love him in the same way that he loved her.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Felicity asked some assassins to Oliver's quarters and once she found it, she found out that there were a couple of guards standing outside his quarters. She then approached them and said, _"I wish to speak with Oliver."_

_"Ra's has commanded that no one is to speak to Al Sah-him, Warith Al Ghul until after the celebration tonight and he also requests that you return to your quarters. Someone will go to your quarters after the celebration so that you could spend time with Al Sah-him as per Ra's Al Ghul's orders." _One of the assassins said to her. Felicity followed the command because she knew that she could not force her way in. She had no training when it comes to fighting and the assassins standing guard behind Oliver's door was menacing. She then returned to her quarters and waited for someone to tell her that it was now okay to visit Oliver's room.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Knowing that Thea was fully asleep, Oliver returned to his quarters. He sat down on one of the couches that littered his room and began thinking. Where was Felicity now? Did she go up to Ra's Al Ghul? What happened if she did? Was she still breathing? These occupied his mind as he waited for the celebration in his honor to begin. After all, Nanda Parbat is such a dangerous place to be in for one such as Felicity Meghan Smoak, and if she ticks of Ra's Al Ghul, she, and all of his friends, could end up dead.

As he sat there and continued on thinking, Sarab entered his chambers and said to him, _"Warith Al Ghul, Ra's Al Ghul requests your presence at the main hall and he also requests that you wear this." _He said and left a box on top of Oliver's bed. He then bowed as a sign of respect and left the room. Oliver then opened the box and saw a plain black, long sleeved shirt, a traditional, Chinese looking black vest and a red sash with gold embellishments that goes vertically on top of the clothing and a black belt to tie around the waist. He then put these clothes on and then he looked at a mirror in his quarters and saw that he looked like royalty. What is Ra's up to now? Oliver thought as he left his quarters with his new clothing towards the main hall and he is followed by the guards standing outside his door.

The main hall was beautifully decorated with red and gold swag, as the colors for the Heir to the Demon and the room was lit well by the candles and the golden chandelier located at the ceiling of the main hall. There were also numerous tables on each side of the hall and there was a red carpet from the door of the hall to the long table at the other end where there were two golden chairs, one was taller than the other and looked like thrones. At the taller chair, Ra's was sitting, wearing his green robes with his eyes towards the door where his heir was going to arrive.

As soon as Oliver arrived, Ra's stood up and then said, _"Everyone, please help welcome Al Sah-him, Heir to the Demon."_

All of the assassins in attendance then stood up, unsheathed their swords and raised them upwards and towards the middle of the room which made some sort of arc in which Oliver would be passing through.

_"Come, sit by my side my heir." _Ra's said with a smirk on his face and Oliver walked ceremoniously towards Ra's Al Ghul's right side and sat at the shorter, throne-looking chair. Ra's then raised a hand which led the assassins to sheath their swords and return to their festivities.

The spread of food around them this time comes from Oliver's country. Burgers, ham, turkey, cupcakes, apple pies and the like filled the table of the assassins and their own table as well. The meal was casual in its nature and it seems like the assassins themselves are enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

The first thing that Oliver noticed was that Nyssa was missing from the festivities.

_"Where's Nyssa?" _asked Oliver.

_"Nyssa took flight and returned to Starling City. It seems that my daughter needs to come to grips that I name you as my 'heir'." _He replied while taking a bite of his burger and using a knife to do it in order to show formality and dignity to the way he eats in front of his assassins.

_"I told your friends that they are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning and I am allowing you to see them off, if you swear your fealty to me right now and that you will refrain from escaping and go with your friends." _Ra's said, which would allow Oliver to send a proper goodbye to each of his friends and family, which was denied Ra's Al Ghul when he left his own family.

_"I swear that I am honoring our agreement and my fealty to you, Ra's Al Ghul." _Oliver said as a response in order to try and gain Ra's trust this early and to make sure that the others are safe.

Tonight's environment was relaxed and Oliver perceived that this event was a welcome one for the assassins under Ra's Al Ghul's command. It seemed to Oliver that the assassins were truly enjoying themselves and be able to socialize with one another freely. He surmised that the assassins rarely get the opportunity to socialize because their lives in the League consisted of training and duty and nothing else.

When it was getting a bit late in the night, Ra's then stood up and ordered the assassins to resume their duties for the festivities were over and told Oliver, _"You must be exhausted. You need to rest for tomorrow will be your naming." _

Ra's Al Ghul then left, followed by Oliver, and proceeded to their respective chambers to rest for tomorrow is going to be a busy day for both Oliver and Ra's Al Ghul.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Felicity was pacing her room when an assassin entered her quarters.

_"The celebration is now over and as promised by Ra's Al Ghul, you may now see Al Sah-him." _The assassin said before leaving Felicity's room.

Felicity resumed pacing the room after the assassin left. Her heart was racing. What was she going to say to him? How was she going to say goodbye to someone that she loved knowing that he might never come back? Would she be able to let the love of her life go? Would she be able to say goodbye? All of these thoughts came flooding into her mind which made her flustered and unsure of whether or not to see him.

She continued to pace, each step quicker than the last one. She continued on doing this until her instincts took over. She was going to him. What she's going to say to him, she surmised that she was going to wing it. It is better to speak from the heart anyway.

She then proceeded to Oliver's room and once there, she told one of the assassins, _"I wish to speak to Oliver."_

One of the assassins said to her in reply, _"Please wait a moment," _and the assassin knocked on Oliver's door thrice before entering.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Oliver was once again sitting on a couch, thinking about a lot of things when he heard a knocking at his door. He snapped out of his brooding self and stated, _"enter" _which allowed an assassin to be in his presence.

_"Warith Al Ghul, there is a woman at the door who requests your presence." _he said through the mask that concealed his face.

"_Let her in." _Oliver said in response wondering who it would be that wanted to meet him at this hour. The assassin bowed his head and left.

~o~o~o~o~o~

As soon as the assassin left, he then told Felicity, who was standing at the door in wait, _"The heir would like to see you now." _

Felicity was nervous. This was it. This was the moment she had to say goodbye to him. She took a deep breath and peek her head at Oliver's door.

_"Hi! How are you doing?" _were the first things that she said to him before realizing that it was stupid. Of course Oliver was not doing well. He just saw his sister resurrected and in exchange, he was going to leave everything, and everyone, behind in order to join the League of Assassins. She realized this mistake and quickly stated, "_Sorry… stupid question seeing as you just saw your sister come back to life and you are just giving up your life and everything you know to Ra's."_

Oliver looked at the door, and saw Felicity there. Felicity had always been his anchor and his lifeboat and once again she was telling the truth. He has no option left now but fulfill his end of the bargain. Since this was his last night with Felicity, he decided to share a story with her.

_"I've been thinking a lot about the time when I thought that I'd never see Thea again, the time the boat went down and since then I've been thinking about the person that I was… the brother that I was. And now, looking back, I feel that he probably died when the boat went down. Since then, I've been struggling with who I am." _Oliver said as he sat there conflicted. Felicity could easily tell that Oliver had been struggling with his identity.

_"And you think who you're supposed to be is the next Ra's Al Ghul?" _Felicity said, trying to help Oliver come to grips with himself and help him solve his dilemma.

Oliver appreciated this gesture of Felicity. She always knew what to say to him to help him when he needs it the most.

_"Honestly?" _he said as he followed Felicity with his eyes when she walked towards him. _"I don't know. All I know is that everything that I've done, everything that happened has led me right here, to this…moment. And if that is true, then…then I don't know what it was all for." _Oliver continued spilling out his feelings to her. She was the only one that he could trust with these feelings because somehow, he knew in his heart, that instead of bashing him and arguing with him, Felicity would be able to help him sort out his emotions and help him get his head on straight for the coming challenges ahead of him.

_"I do." _Felicity replied as she sat on couch so that she was now eye to eye with Oliver. This was it. It was her turn to tell him how she felt. She had been keeping it to herself for so long that she found this time to serve as some sort of release from the prison that she had kept her love from Oliver in.

Felicity reached for Oliver's hand and held it tightly before continuing. _"I wish that I could change your mind about staying here but I know I can't. Just like I know that leaving you here is going to destroy me. I don't regret a single moment. And you shouldn't either. You have done so much. You have saved a lot of people's lives and you have changed so many for the better…including mine. Knowing you has changed my life. You…" _Felicity hesitated for a moment, but decided to go with it anyway. _"Opened up my heart in a way that I never thought was possible…I love you." _

_"I love you." _These were the last words that Felicity said to Oliver and these three simple words sent a jolt to his heart and made it skip a beat. He always thought that Felicity felt something for him but he never really got confirmation of this feeling until now, in Nanda Parbat, and just before they separate and go their own separate ways, permanently. Getting this confirmation of her love for him now made Oliver feel bittersweet. On the one end, his love for her has been reciprocated but on the other end, he knew that he had to leave her to keep her safe.

Oliver's body ached for her and for the first time in forever, he let go. He just became himself, at least for the night. He slowly, and lovingly, removed Felicity's glasses and placed them on the table at his left side. He then placed a kiss towards her lips with much passion in which Felicity reciprocated and deepened the kiss further while cupping Oliver's head.

Felicity stood up, still kissing Oliver with a passion before stepping back and removing her jacket which exposed her black tank top. As Felicity did this, Oliver never took his loving and passionate eyes away from her and followed her lead by removing his shirt and left it on the floor. He then stood up and helped Felicity remove her tank top before kissing her again as she wrapped her arms around Oliver's neck and continued their deep and passionate kisses.

Oliver gently hoisted Felicity up, one hand on her thigh and the other hand supported her back and slowly made his way towards the bed. He then turned around and sat down on the bed before lying down and surrendering himself to Felicity who then gently rubbed his scars and his Bratva tattoo before locking her lips once again against Oliver's mouth.

Felicity was starting to get wet and Oliver was slowly becoming hard as he shot straight up and kissed Felicity's chest. Felicity was gyrating a bit as she removed her underclothing while Oliver continued to rub her back as gently as he could.

He then gently placed Felicity on the bed and removed his pants and his underwear. Felicity did the same with her lower garments. Once they were both naked, Oliver placed himself on top of Felicity, who had her legs spread wide to let him in and as Oliver positioned himself on top of Felicity, she wrapped her legs around Oliver's waist as he gently pushed his hard against her wet while devouring her neck and her body which made the both of them gasp and moan.

This went on for some time, until both of them reached their peaks and Oliver had poured everything he had onto Felicity. He then relaxed and fell over Felicity's side while panting hard.

This, as Oliver and Felicity thought, was the happiest night of their lives. They consummated their love for one another and for once, Oliver allowed this to happen and that Felicity gave him permission to do so. If they were to die tonight by having arrows through their chest, both of them would not care because now they can say that "_at least they have Nanda Parbat_"…


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Oliver woke up the following morning to find Felicity asleep. Her head was on top of his chest and her legs were wrapped around his. He slowly moved her until he got himself free. He put on his pants and proceeded to the balcony to watch the sun rise. Oliver did not want the night to end because he knew that when the sun breaks, he would be saying good bye to his sister, Diggle, and most importantly Felicity.

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to prepare him for today amidst the cool breeze coming from the mountains. _"Oliver?" _he heard Felicity say which made him turn around and give her a smile that was exclusively hers. Felicity was wrapped in the sheets of the bed and from his observation, she was glowing.

Oliver felt awkward, just like a person doing the deed for the first time. He usually did not feel awkward after doing the deed but since this is Felicity, a woman whom he fell head over heels for, the experience was different which made him feel like a kid again.

A knock came from the door and an assassin entered. _"Ra's wishes your friends to pack their things and get ready to leave." _The assassin then bowed to him, left the room, and closed the doors.

Oliver took a deep breath. This was it, he would be saying his goodbyes and live a life of solitude. _"I guess you better get dressed and prepare your stuff. We all might end up in trouble if you don't. I promise I'll be there to see you off." _Oliver said to Felicity as she lied there looking stunned, sad and confused.

Felicity also took a deep breath around the same time as Oliver. She knew that this day would bring the heartbreak. She was going to leave Oliver behind. However, she was not giving up hope and that she would be holding on to the thought that one day, Oliver would be returning to her.

Oliver then turned around in order to allow Felicity to get dressed. After she got dressed and proceeded to the door, Oliver then said to her reassuringly, _"I'll see you later." _

~o~o~o~o~o~

As Oliver was preparing to say his goodbyes in his quarters, an assassin entered his room and bowed before him as was customary to leaders of the League which caught Oliver's attention and snapped him out of his thoughts. When the assassin stood upright, he said, _"Al Sah-Him, Ra's Al Ghul commands your presence at the Dining Hall." _The assassin bowed again as a sign of deference and respect, left the room and closed the doors behind him.

_"What now?" _Oliver thought as he heard the news that he was going to be face to face with the Demon's Head again. The last thing on his mind right now is talking with Ra's Al Ghul. He was trying his best to prepare himself from the heartache and pain he was going to be experiencing in a few hours and really did not want to talk to anyone right now. But, if he did not go to Ra's Al Ghul, his friends could be tortured or killed before they left. So, with a sigh, Oliver stood up from his seat and went to the dining hall to meet up with the Demon's Head.

When he arrived at the dining hall, he saw Ra's Al Ghul already digging into his breakfast. _"I hope that you had a good night's rest. Come, join me…" _he said as he was dipping his pita bread onto zaatar (an herb, similar to that of thyme and oregano that was crushed). To Oliver, it seemed like Ra's knew what happened last night. After all this was his place and it was his business to know everything that was going on in his palace. It was hard not to lie to him so instead, Oliver told the truth.

_"Yes, I did." _

_"Good." _Ra's replied as he took a bit into his zaatar soaked pita bread. _"I am sending two guards to accompany you and your friends to the plane." _He continued.

_"But I don't need protection." _Oliver protested. After all, he was more than capable of defending himself and feels like having assassins protecting him were like him having babysitters.

_"Nanda Parbat is a dangerous place especially for you. Some assassins are still loyal to the former heir and do not agree to an outsider being my successor. As such, they might attempt to assassinate you." _He said trying to explain the situation in the League of Assassins. Just before Oliver attempted to state that he was Ra's Al Ghul, he said _"I know my position but they still might strike using different gear and different weapons and I will not have my heir die before his time." _

With this explanation, it seemed futile for Oliver to argue. So instead of arguing, he said _"As you wish", _and ate his breakfast in silence.

As soon as he had finished eating, an assassin entered and said, _"My lords, Al Sah-Him's friends are ready for departure."_

_"Have they eaten?" _Ra's asked the assassin and the assassin replied with a bow which indicated that Oliver's friends have properly had their meals.

Oliver admired this about the man they called the Demon's Head. Even though he still thought that the man is evil, Ra's seemed to have a sense of dignity and civility when it came to his friends' accommodations and treatment. Oliver stood up from his seat and proceeded outside accompanied by Sarab and another assassin.

~o~o~o~o~o~

They arrived at Malcolm's jet using the horses that the league provided for them. Since Oliver is now heir, he got to choose a horse for him to use whenever he wanted to roam the far reaches of Nanda Parbat. He selected a white stallion which had a very shiny coat which looked like it has been cared for especially for the Ra's' family and his heir. Since this was the horse that he selected, the assassins dressed up the horse like it was fit for royalty prior to him riding it. Oliver had to admit, he felt dignified as he rode the horse to the airstrip where they left their jet.

Once Oliver's friends and family dismounted on their respective horses and gathered up their things, he announced to them, _"This is as far as I go…"_ which caught everyone's attention.

_"Oliver, the jet is just over there, you can still come with us." _Diggle said, pleading with Oliver to come with them. Diggle always thought of Oliver as his brother and would always want to protect him. In some ways, he also thought of himself as Oliver's "bodyguard" and even admitted this fact to Laurel when he first learned that Oliver was dead. Now, it was hard for him to say goodbye and he was having difficulties coming to grips that he was going to lose his friend, brother and confidant once again.

For Oliver, it is just as hard to say goodbye to Diggle. For the past 3 years, Diggle served as Oliver's brother, confidant, and rock and was there to give him sage advice when he needed it. Diggle was also the person that he could rely on when it comes to stating the things that he needed to hear, even though at times, it was not exactly what he wanted to hear. He knows that Diggle wanted him to come with them, but at this point, he knew he couldn't because Ra's Al Ghul could just kill all of them once they landed and he wanted to keep everyone safe. Oliver took a deep breath before replying to Diggle, _"Where are we going to fly to?"_

Diggle realized what Oliver was trying to say. He knew that the League of Assassins are everywhere and Oliver had to stay behind in order to prevent them all from being killed. He did not argue anymore because he knew that this was the best case scenario and if Oliver went with them on the plane, Ra's would just ask his assassins to keep their eyes on Airports and kill them when they landed.

_"Ollie, what's going on?" _Thea asked, still seemingly confused after her resurrection the day prior to their departure.

Oliver took another deep breath as if to brace himself to say goodbye to his sister. His sister, whom was the reason he was there for. The sister whom he saved at the risk of his own life. A sister whom he loves so dearly that all he wanted to do is protect and cherish. _"Malcolm's going to take you home." _

_"Aren't you coming with?" _Thea inquired using that sweet and innocent voice like a child asking a parent.

_"You go and I'll catch up." _Oliver replied before giving Thea a big hug while cupping her head with his one hand and wrapping his other hand around his sister's waist before giving it a tight squeeze. He then whispered so that only his sister could hear, _"I love you Thea…never forget that ok?" _before he let his sister go.

Malcolm then led Thea onto the plane.

Oliver rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears from his face before Diggle approached him and said, _"Oliver, I don't know what to say."_

_"I do." _Oliver replied before continuing. _"John, you're the best man that I've ever known. Whatever happens, you're my brother." _Oliver then gave Diggle a brotherly hug and using one of his hands, gave Diggle some gentle pats on the back during the hug in order to indicate that he was genuine with his words that he considers Diggle as his brother.

Oliver then let go of the hug and Diggle proceeded towards the plane.

Now comes the hard part. Oliver took a deep breath and as he proceeded towards Felicity who seemed rooted to the spot and unable to move. It was Felicity who spoke first._ "I'm afraid that I will never be able to forgive myself for leaving you here or for not even trying to get you out of here." _She started on the verge of tears.

Oliver only wanted happiness for Felicity and at this time, she was not having it. He knew that she was going to lose him and vice versa and Oliver needed Felicity to live her life happy. In order to console her and give her strength to continue on with her life, just as he needed her in his own life, he began: _"You told me once that life is precious, and that you wanted more from it than I could offer you. Don't give up on that. The only way that I am going to survive this is if I know that you are living your life out there… happy." _

Felicity gave Oliver a small nod indicating that she understood. However, that speech did not make the pain that she was feeling any less painful. It seemed to Felicity like her heart has been stabbed by a blade, much like what Oliver had experienced when he was stabbed through the chest by Ra's Al Ghul and kicked off the side of a mountain. Looking lovingly into his eyes, she then slurred, _"You know we're always saying goodbye to each other… you'd think that I'd be good at it by now."_

Oliver smiled, amidst the tears creeping up on his eyes. Despite the fact that they were going their separate ways, Felicity was still able to make him smile. If anything, his memories of her would be the ones to give him strength in this ordeal, until he is able to find a way out of this mess. _"Well, let's not say goodbye this time." _Oliver replied before closing his eyes and giving her a passionate kiss, savoring each moment and remembering the softness of Felicity's lips upon his. He then let go of the kiss and gently placed his forehead upon Felicity's forehead before he finally stood upright and Felicity walked away towards the jet.

Oliver looked back at Felicity unable to hide his emotions any longer. His tears were falling down his face. This pain is the most difficult that he had to suffer through. It seemed to him that all of his wounds had re-opened and salt was being rubbed roughly over them. Saying goodbye to his family and friends was possibly the hardest thing he had to do in his life, most probably, even harder than his experiences on the 5 years that he was away.

As the jet took off, Oliver gathered his bearings as best as he could, before mounting his horse that was being held by Sarab and then said, _"Let's go. Ra's must be waiting for us." _and they rode off and headed back to Nanda Parbat.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

When Oliver returned to Nanda Parbat, he quickly proceeded to his own quarters. Saying goodbye to everyone absolutely took its toll and decided to be alone to rest because his day was not yet over. There was still a branding and naming ceremony to be had later in the day and he was trying to mentally prepare for it.

Oliver was not disturbed by anyone during the rest of the day. He was not even summoned by Ra's Al Ghul for anything. All of his meals were delivered to his room. He was glad of it actually. It gave him time to relax, gather his bearings, and prepare to mentally and physically become a full-fledged member of the League of Assassins.

Oliver was standing at his balcony, watching the beautiful sunset over the mountains when Sarab entered his quarters. Sensing his presence, Oliver turned around to acknowledge him. Sarab bowed down before him and then saying, _"Oliver, it's time."_

_"You don't have to bow down to me, Maseo." _Oliver said. He still considers Maseo as his friend and it felt awkward for him to have his friend bow down before him in reverence and respect.

_"Maseo is dead. I am Sarab and it is customary for assassins to bow down to their leaders. I am no different." _He replied before stepping back and closing the doors in order to allow Oliver his last minute preparations before his branding and naming.

Once Oliver was ready, he was escorted by Sarab, as well as three more assassins who were flanking him on each side, forming some sort of square around him. They proceeded outside the palace towards the clearing wherein they first greeted him when he brought Thea to be resurrected. This time all the assassins had been recalled to Nanda Parbat and they filled the clearing but they were formed in a circle. They parted a way for Oliver to come through as the assassins that accompanied him and Sarab took their positions.

Oliver proceeded to the center of the clearing and there he saw a fire pit, a platform with two poles attached to it and leather straps tied to each of the poles. At the middle of the clearing, Ra's Al Ghul was directly in front of his line of vision as well as the priestess who was just a few inches behind him. He took a deep breath before removing his brown colored T-shirt exposing his scars, proceeded to the platform and strapped himself in by wrapping his arms around the leather straps that were provided for him.

Ra's then began circling around him. He was admiring Oliver's scars that led to a smirk. Based on Oliver's scars, Ra's saw Oliver as a very powerful warrior, a man of tremendous strength, fortitude and power. He was smirking because based on what he saw, Oliver is the perfect candidate to be his heir.

_"The word 'assassin' has fallen victim to many abuses of language." _Ra's said as he began the ceremony. _"It's real meaning hidden beneath the sediment of lies and falsehoods. In truth, "assassin" comes from hashishiyya, which means 'those who stand apart from society'." _As Ra's said this, the priestess went over to the fire pit and placed the branding iron of an arrow onto the fire in order to heat it up to be used to brand Oliver with this symbol.

_"Now, every man and woman in here have renounced their past life and forfeited their identity in the name of something new. And it is a cleansing only achieved by fire." _Once the branding iron was hot enough, the priestess took it out of the fire and gave it to Ra's Al Ghul. Prior to the ceremony, he said to the Priestess that he wished to brand his heir himself. This was not the usual tradition of the League because for normal members, it was the Priestess who did the branding. In this case, it was not a normal tradition for the one being branded has also been named as heir. As such, Ra's Al Ghul insisted that he perform this ceremony himself which the Priestess agreed to.

Ra's then placed the branding iron onto Oliver's right shoulder blade, opposite the tattoo given to him by Slade Wilson. _"Embrace the pain, for it is your soul finally being unburdened." _Ra's let the arrow branding iron stew in Oliver's skin for a while, probably testing his heir's mettle before finally removing the branding iron from his back.

For Oliver, as soon as the branding iron touched his skin, he thought it was painful. However, he was used to the pain so he just gasped, clenched his jaw and sucked up the pain that he was feeling. His body was shaking uncontrollably from the pain but he held his own and not fall on his knees even though he felt his knees buckle a few times as he was being branded. The leather straps that held him in place helped him prevent himself from falling down on his knees as his knuckles turned white while his shoulder blade was being burned by the branding iron. He wanted to scream from the pain but held his tongue because if he screamed, it would be shown as a weakness by the assassins who were currently watching him become their Heir. He was not going to let the assassins, and Ra's Al Ghul, have that luxury. He had to be strong to prove his worth and his strength both to Ra's Al Ghul and the assassins. He had to earn the assassins' respect if he was going to be their heir and this branding could serve as a show of strength and power on his part which would make Ra's proud and the assassins fearful of him. He also realized that Ra's let the branding iron stew in his skin for a while, which made him blink a couple of times from the pain before Ra's finally removed the branding iron from his left shoulder blade. He took deep breaths because he knew that his initiation was not over yet.

Ra's then circled him again and was proud at what he saw. Oliver, his heir, did not make a sound as he was branded. He also did not fall on his knees as he was being branded. Ra's saw many a man fall on their knees during this part of the ceremony in the temple and seeing Oliver not fall impressed him and made him proud of his decision. He was definitely right in his assessment that Oliver has tremendous strength, fortitude and power and his branding proved this point to Ra's and all of the assassins that were present.

_"The League of Assassins is a brotherhood." _Ra's then stated as he continued to circle around Oliver. _"It is a family built around loyalty, fealty and blood. Each and every man here has, and will, spill their blood in order to protect one another and especially their leaders from outside forces. And tonight, you will do the same." _The Priestess then handed Ra's a ceremonial knife to be used for this particular section of the ceremony. _"Are you ready to join the brotherhood Al Sah-Him?_" Ra's inquired as part of the process.

The mark on his shoulder blade was now throbbing but he knew full well that his ceremony was not yet over. When Ra's asked the question about him joining the brotherhood of the League of Assassins, he replied, through gritted teeth, _"I am."_

Ra's then unsheathed the ceremonial knife and proceeded to the platform. He then used the ceremonial knife to slowly cut Oliver across the chest. Oliver seethed and grunted a bit due to the slowness of the knife now cutting his skin and the force in which Ra's used to cut him. Oliver then closed his eyes and took a deep breath to block away the pain until Ra's was done cutting him.

This part of the ceremony now over, Ra's then ordered Sarab, _"Clothe him." _Oliver was now presented with league clothing. He removed his arms from the leather straps that held him and put the clothes on. He was also presented with a compound bow, a quiver full of arrows with black fletchings, a Chinese Dao sword (swords especially presented and used by the Heir to the Demon), and a dark green mask that only revealed his eyes as a symbol of his history. Once he received all of his new gear, he was presented with a red colored pin which he attached to the upper part of the black leather that went across his upper body in order to hold his quiver in place and a necklace with a hozen in the shape of an arrowhead to be worn around his neck. He then put his hood up and presented himself to the assassins.

Oliver bowed down his head and then he heard Ra's say, _"Oliver Queen is dead, eventually to be reborn as Ra's Al Ghul. But for now, only the Arrow, Al Sah-Him shall remain." _Ra's then smiled, proud of himself and what he has done._ "Al Sah-Him…" _he continued, relishing every word, "_Heir to the Demon."_

Oliver then looked up through the mask and he looked menacing to anyone not affiliated with the League.

As the pronouncement was made that Al Sah-Him is now the Heir to the Demon, the assassins unsheathed their swords and lifted them up towards the black sky before placing their swords on the ground horizontally before them and kneeling down before him. This was the ultimate sign of respect and acceptance that he was now Heir and basically under his command when the time comes.

Al Sah-Him then ordered them to stand which they did and carried their swords as they rose, they then sheathed their swords and one by one and disappeared into the night only leaving Ra's, Sarab, Ubu, the Priestess, and Oliver behind.

_"Go get some rest my Heir, for tomorrow, your transformation begins." _Ra's then said to his heir. Al-Sahim bowed down to Ra's Al Ghul in his attempt to be obedient even though his heart was not in it and Ra's Al Ghul walked past him followed by the Priestess. He then followed Ra's Al Ghul back to the palace and flanked by both Ubu and Sarab.

As Al Sah-Him reached his quarters, he stripped down until he was topless exposing his burnt and bloodied skin. Suddenly a knock came through the door and a woman wearing black entered his chambers. _"Ra's Al Ghul sent me to tend to your wounds my lord." _She said to him while facing the ground and holding a tray of herbs, cloth and a basin of water.

Al Sah-Him motioned her to get started and he sat on the couch which exposed most of his back. The woman then started by cleaning his back and placing a cooling and healing salve onto the arrowhead that was branded upon his skin. Al Sah-Him closed his eyes as the sensation of the salve felt good to him.

The woman then kneeled down in front of him and cleaned his chest, which was now covered with blood, and stitched it up using a needle and thread. After doing so, she placed an ointment over it and covered it up with a white cloth. _"My lord, you may remove the white cloth tomorrow morning." _She said as she stood up. She then gathered her things and bowed down before him before leaving the room.

By this time, Al Sah-Him was extremely tired by the activities of the day. He did not even bother changing. He just removed his boots and lied down on his bed and as soon as he did this, he fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Al Sah-Him was awoken with the sound of knocking at his door before an assassin entered. As Al Sah-Him was rubbing his eyes and trying to get his wits about him, he saw that it was Sarab.

When Sarab saw that Al Sah-Him was coming to, he bowed down before him and said, _"Ra's Al Ghul commands your presence at the temple."_

_"I'll be right there." _Al Sah-Him replied while stifling a yawn. He then got up and got dressed in a brown shirt and put on his black boots before proceeding outside of his quarters and towards the temple.

Upon reaching the temple, Al Sah-Him was surprised when the assassins manacled both his hands and his feet and was dragged and forced to kneel down before Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's Al Ghul had his back turned towards him and looking at the Lazarus Pit.

Ra's Al Ghul sensed Al Sah-Him's presence in front of him and he turned around. He then stood over Al Sah-Him and then said to him, _"Your transformation begins thus… take him away."_

Two assassins then grabbed Oliver by the arm and was led to the dungeons where they removed the manacles from his feet but attached the manacles to the chain on the floor and then they left. Oliver breathed deeply and wondering what was going to happen next and removed the white cloth on his chest revealing his stitched up skin.

Sarab and Ubu then entered and they were holding nunchaku and pole staff respectively. Then they started beating him with it. He tried to fight them off using his legs but it was to no avail. Soon enough welts and bruises were found all over his body and Al Sah-Him was on the ground and panting, then he heard Ra's Al Ghul's voice saying, _"Oliver Queen is alive only in the past. He is forgotten." _Maseo and Ubu then left his cage.

Another assassin entered and put a black hood over his head and then left. Al Sah-Him did not know how long he had that black hood over his head and to be quite frank it was kind of disorienting after a while. All of a sudden, he heard footsteps and the voice of Ra's Al Ghul again saying _"Oliver Queen is dead." _and an assassin removed the black hood and was instantly exposed to the sun's rays which disoriented him all the more and squinted his eyes due to the brightness of the sun coming through from his window.

Al Sah-Him was getting quite tired now when a black hood was over his head again. He was lying on the floor when he heard several footsteps again and he felt like he was being clamped down. All of a sudden, Al Sah-Him felt something wet and extremely cold hit his face. He was gasping for air but it was difficult due to the black hood over his head. He then heard Ra's Al Ghul's voice again saying, _"You are Al Sah-Him," _and the process was repeated exchanging the words _"Oliver Queen is alive only in the past. He is forgotten."_, _"Oliver Queen is dead." _and _"You are Al Sah-Him." _after a while, the assassins removed the black hood from Al Sah-Him's head and left the dungeon while Al Sah-Him was gaging and gasping for air while water was coming out from his mouth.

Al Sah-Him was still lying on the cold stone floor gasping for air when Sarab, Ubu and two more assassins entered his cage and placed four bowls with unknown substances on them in the four corners of Al Sah-Him's cage. He did not know what they were but at this point he was too tired to care. As he lied down on the floor, the scent coming from the bowls were soothing. His cage felt minty, fruity and flowery all at the same time and the scents made him want to fall asleep.

Just as he was about to doze off, an assassin would come in and douse him with ice cold water which would allow his senses to come back and prevent him from falling asleep. Every once in a while he would still hear the sound of Ra's Al Ghul's voice repeating the mantra that Oliver Queen is alive only in memory and is forgotten or dead and that he is Al Sah-Him.

It was almost dark when an assassin went back to him and presented him with his League of Assassins clothes which he put on. The assassin then removed his manacles and told Al Sah-Him to follow him because Ra's Al Ghul was waiting for him outside of the palace.

Ra's was wearing his normal clothing as he met Al Sah-Him outside the place in the clearing which now looked like a training circle. _"Here is where we train to improve your sword skills Al Sah-Him." _

Al Sah-Him flinched at his new name. He was not used to this name yet which Ra's noticed but did not acknowledge. Instead, Ra's Al Ghul unsheathed his sword, which Al Sah-Him followed, before saying _"fight!" _and Ra's Al Ghul attacked Al Sah-Him with fervor.

First, Ra's was aiming for Al Sah-Him's head by delivering crushing blow after crushing blow in a vertical pattern which were clearly designed to crush his skull. Al Sah-Him put his own blade up and blocked Ra's strikes which created sparks that lit up the training grounds. Al Sah-Him then delivered some strikes of his own aimed at Ra's arm and a thrust towards Ra's torso which the latter easily parried. Ra's then used his free arm to get a punch in but Al Sah-Him blocked him and used his blade to try and slice off Ra's neck but Ra's leaned his head back which made the strike miss. Ra's spun around and delivered a low, but powerful kick, towards Al Sah-Him's knee which forced it to buckle and Al Sah-Him found himself kneeling before Ra's Al Ghul with a blade found just centimeters from his neck. However, Ra's removed the sword from Al Sah-Him's neck and offered his hand to help his protégé up. Al Sah-Him took his hand and helped himself up. After he did, he placed his hands behind his back and listened to what Ra's had to say to him.

_"You still flinch at your new name." _Ra's started to say. _"You are Al Sah-Him and you need to accept it. Oliver Queen must be a memory." _He continued. _"We will continue to train until I deem you worthy to really inherit the mantle of Warith Al Ghul. Take him back to the Dungeons" _He said before he walked away.

Al Sah-Him followed them back to his cell and after he removed his gear, he was chained up again. He was allowed to rest but to sleep was a different matter because even during the night when sleep was creeping up on him, an assassin would douse him with water to wake him. As he lied on the ground, now wet with water, he noticed that he was not given any meals. What were they up to? What is Ra's planning to transform him into?


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

The days turned to weeks and the weeks turned into months and as the days went by Ra's Al Ghul saw his protégé being broken down slowly and surely until Al Sah-Him was left. He had been patient and he was once again proud of his protégé. Normal people usually break at around the first week and the stronger ones last up to two weeks but not his heir. His heir lasted three months before he was broken. This made Ra's proud and the other assassins fearful. The new heir showed tremendous strength during his transformation and the assassins would not dare cross him because of his strength and his extensive training with Ra's Al Ghul.

Al Sah-Him's eyes were glazed over during his last day in the dungeon, and his hands were crossed as he lied in wait when Ra's Al Ghul entered his cell and offered his hand to help him up. He willingly took Ra's hand as his manacles were removed from him and allowed him to rest in his quarters for his final night of training with Ra's. Al Sah-Him bowed down in deference, willingly this time, before leaving and proceeding to his quarters.

He did not even bother changing, or remove his shirt, but he did remove his boots and collapsed on his bed instantly falling asleep.

A knock on the door and an assassin entering caused Oliver to be startled, quickly opening his eyes, and propping himself up on his bed. He was so startled that if he had a sharp object nearby, he would have grabbed it and thrown it towards the door.

_"Ra's commands that you get dressed for your final training with him begins in a few minutes." _The assassin said after bowing down to him in deference. As soon as he said this, the assassin left.

Al Sah-Him got dressed in his league uniform and proceeded to the training grounds where Ra's was already waiting for him. As soon as they were both ready, the training began. When compared to their first 'mock fight', this fight was more intense and high impact. Each strike was more powerful than the last but neither man giving an inch. It was not until Ra's Al Ghul got a hold of Al Sah-Him's wrist, twisted it with enough force that made Al Sah-Him flip and land on his back hard against the dirt which allowed Ra's to finish him off with a strike towards his face but made it miss by inches to indicate that the match was over and that Ra's Al Ghul once again won the fight.

Ra's then stood up and offered Al Sah-Him his hand which his heir then took to help himself stand up.

_"You have made great progress in three months," _Ra's said as Al Sah-Him was removing his mask and pulling down his hood. _"Al Sah-Him"_

At this name, Ra's saw that his heir no longer flinched. However, Al Sah-Him was now distant, cold and blank. He then relayed his observations to his heir. _"You no longer flinch upon hearing your new name."_

_"Oliver Queen is alive only in the past. He's forgotten." _Al Sah-Him stated looking forward and with conviction as Ra's Al Ghul circled him.

Fully convinced that Oliver has completely transformed into Al Sah-Him, Ra's Al Ghul then reinforced this thought onto his heir, _"Indeed, you are Al Sah-Him. You are Warith Al Ghul, Heir to the Demon."_ and the both of them began to walk away.

As they were walking away, Sarab interrupted their conversation by calling out to them, _"My lords."_

They both turned around to see Sarab and some assassins dragging someone with a black hood over his head. _"I apologize for this interruption. We captured this intruder." _Sarab continued as he walked closer and closer to them.

_"Why then is he yet still alive?" _Ra's said non-chalantly. However, as Ra's said this, Al Sah-Him was curious. He recognized those clothing from somewhere and cocked his head slightly to the left to express his curiosity as he moved closer to the hooded man now kneeling before him.

_"He is known to Al Sah-Him." _Sarab replied before removing the hood off of the man. Al Sah-Him recognized this man as Oliver's former brother Diggle.

_"Oliver, what the hell is going on?" _Diggle said through the confusion after the removal of his hood.

Sarab then stated Diggle's purpose in Nanda Parbat. _"Clearly he made another attempt to free Al Sah-Him."_

_"Well, then it falls on Al Sah-Him to deal with him." _Ra's Al Ghul said this as he looked at his heir.

_"Oliver, they're lying to you. I never made it home. They've had me here prisoner for weeks." _Diggle said, literally pleading for his life. If he was still Oliver Queen, he would have found a way to save his brother's life. However, he was no longer Oliver Queen.

_"My oath of mercy on your friends was premised by your fealty. Prove it." _Ra's then said as he presented his heir with the Chinese Dao sword that Al Sah-Him was using as his secondary weapon aside from his bow and arrow.

Al Sah-Him took the sword willfully which sent Diggle in a state of panic, _"No. Oliver, listen to me—they're lying to you. We could still get out of here; you and me working together. There's still a chance."_

Al Sah-Him looked at Diggle and it was cold, distant, and quite frankly, scary and unrecognizable. It was as if he could command a legion and would follow him because of the air of tremendous strength around him. He then commanded the assassins surrounding Diggle, _"Remove his chains." _and Sarab instantaneously followed his order.

After Diggle's manacles were removed, Al Sah-Him then said, _"Give him your sword, Sarab. I will not kill an unarmed man." _while one of his hands was behind his back and the other hand holding his sword. Sarab followed and presented Diggle with his own katana.

Diggle took the sword, stood up and while doing so, still trying to reason with Oliver. _"That's the way this is? You've been here for a few months and you forget who you are? Do you remember when you brought me into your crusade? I told you that I would be here to help remind you who Oliver was if you ever became something else… I haven't given up on that promise." _ and then Diggle held his sword up in front of him in a guard position.

The problem with Diggle's logic? The man in front of him is no longer Oliver Queen. The man in front of him is Al Sah-Him, a ruthless and remorseless person exactly like how Ra's Al Ghul has intended him to be. If this was still Oliver Queen, he would have fought off Ra's and his assassins and escaped Nanda Parbat. However, he is now Al Sah-Him with a take no prisoner's attitude as exemplified in one word, _"Fight!" _and struck Diggle's sword strongly. He then struck Diggle's sword again before aiming at Diggle's neck which the latter avoided. Al Sah-Him then aimed at Diggle's head and stroked his sword downwards. However, Diggle avoided the strike again by taking a step sideways. Diggle found an opportunity to strike but when he thrust his sword forward, Al Sah-Him was able to parry the attempt using his sword and using Diggle's forward momentum against him, Al Sah-Him was able to grab hold of Diggle's wrists and flipped the latter to the side, disarming him in the process.

As Diggle got to his knees after the impact of the flip, he looked into Al Sah-Him's eyes. It was cold and calculating and he resigned himself to his fate.

For Al Sah-Him, it was just like any other kill; without mercy or remorse. He held the katana back, its blade facing away from him before he stabbed Diggle with it through his heart. Blood flowed out of Diggle's mouth and dropped dead in front of him as he removed his sword. He didn't even stop there as he kicked the new corpse in order to flip it over and then he saw that he did not kill Diggle but someone else.

_"The past three months, you've been exposed to a rare herb centuries old." _Ra's started, explaining to Al Sah-Him just what happened._ "It causes one's conscience to come to the forefront of their mind so it is the only thing that they see. The herbs effect is different for everyone. Some people see family and loved ones, others encounter trusted friends or teachers. Who did you see?" _Ra's asked.

Al Sah-Him did not reply but instead he looked straight ahead. He did not want to answer this right now because he felt that something in him died along with that man. He could not understand why he was feeling remorseful when he did it. Ra's Al Ghul must have understood the difficulty that Al Sah-Him was going through because he did not press the issue. Instead, he said, _"Very well, you do not have to divulge what it is you saw but doing this proves to me that you are ready. For your first assignment, I want you to go to Central City and face off against the Reverse Flash. You may take as many men as you wish and you could use all the available resources that you have available at your disposal. I wish to see your current combat skills and your leadership skills on the field."_

Al Sah-Him bowed down, acknowledging his assignment and then stating, _"Why Reverse Flash? What has he done to the League of Assassins?" _

_"He has done nothing to the league. However, he is too dangerous because he comes from the future and has been using his abilities for evil." _Ra's replied to his protégé.

_"When do I leave?" _Al Sah-Him said as he continued to look forward without a hint of emotion on his face.

_"Whenever you are ready, Warith Al Ghul." _Ra's said before he and Al Sah-Him both walked back towards the palace with Sarab and one assassin with them while the other assassin was dragging the body of the now dead, former Diggle, towards the catacombs.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for keeping up with the story so far. I intend this to be focused on Oliver's journey and try to add Olicity stuff and some background details only when necessary. Thank you for your kind comments and I appreciate them a lot. Here is chapter 14 and I hope you enjoy! ****J**

CHAPTER 14

The following morning, Al Sah-Him woke up well rested for the first time in months. He was sore from the training and the different tortures done to him in order to transform him into what he is. It was late in the morning and went to the dining hall to get something to eat. He was alone, as he thought he would, because Ra's was somewhere tending to League affairs. As he sat down, the dining room servers gave him some manakish zaatar and some grilled Arabic chicken kofta with sautéed mix capsicum. He was also given Arabic coffee and some ice cold water.

As he ate in silence, Sarab entered the dining hall and stood in attention without saying a word.

Al Sah-Him is aware of his presence but he was busy eating because this was his first proper meal after his transformation and he was starving. After drinking some of the coffee that was given to him, he then managed to say, _"What brings you here, Sarab?" _

_"Ra's Al Ghul commands that I serve you now, Warith Al Ghul. I am here as your bodyguard. Where you go, I go." _He replied.

_"Was it really Ra's that commanded you? Or you asked to be relegated to be my bodyguard and Ra's approved?" _Al Sah-Him asked Sarab.

Sarab was taken aback. He did not believe how astute Al Sah-Him had become during his transformation. He did not decide to lie, so he told Al Sah-Him the truth. _"I asked Ra's to re-appoint me from his personal bodyguard to your personal bodyguard instead."_

_"Figures," _Al Sah-Him replied as he took a bite of the Arabic chicken kofta on his plate.

In Sarab's mind, he owed Al Sah-Him everything. From their experiences in Hong Kong, Al Sah-Him did a lot for Sarab which the latter feels he could never repay. From the moment that Ra's announced that Al Sah-Him is going to be his heir, his allegiance shifted and wanted to reflect his loyalty to Al Sah-Him instead of Ra's Al Ghul which prompted his decision to be the Heir's bodyguard. No one knew of these reasons however and was going to keep the reasons for his shift secret until the day he dies.

_"So, you're going to Central City?" _Sarab asked Al Sah-Him.

_"Yes." _Al Sah-Him replied finishing up the last pieces of his Arabic chicken kofta and manakish zaatar.

_"When do we leave?"_

_"Tomorrow"_

After drinking the ice cold water from his glass, he stood up and walked back to his quarters. Sarab followed him silently, swiveling his head once in a while to make sure that his new master would remain safe from the assassins that would do him harm. At the door of his quarters, he said to Sarab, _"I need to plan for the Central City trip. I need you to give me a list of the assassins currently stationed there and tell them to meet me the day after tomorrow." _Sarab bowed down to confirm that he understood the order and left as soon as Al Sah-Him entered his quarters.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and Joe had just realized that the particle accelerator was once again turned on and the metahumans in the prison cells beneath STAR Labs were in danger should the particle accelerator be activated.

"_If they stay in there, they die and if we set them free, then they could destroy the city." _Cisco said.

_"We're gonna have to move them." _Barry said thinking of a solution to their problem.

_"Move them where? Iron Heights can't handle Meta-Humans." _Joe said, amazed at what Barry plans to do. Joe thinks that transferring regular criminals from one prison to another was already difficult as it is but transferring criminals with superpowers? He can't really wrap his mind around it with the logistics and the danger that the move will do to the rest of Central City.

_"You're right. But Lian Yu can." _Barry said to Joe. Cisco and Caitlyn understood what Barry was talking about. Lian Yu was where Oliver trained for some years and beneath that island was a prison compound where Oliver kept his most dangerous criminals as prisoners. They were informed of this prison and this island when they worked with Oliver's team.

Joe, on the other hand, wanted no association with the Arrow as he believed that the Arrow is more of a vigilante and a dangerous influence to Barry. Therefore, he had no clue what Lian Yu was. _"What the hell's a Lian Yu?" _he asked.

_"Lian Yu's the island where Oliver was training for 5 years. ARGUS built a covert military prison on it." _Barry replied.

_"That's where we sent Captain Boomerang." _Cisco added.

_"Oliver keeps his worst criminals there. They won't be able to escape and more importantly, they won't be able to hurt anybody." _Barry said, stating his case as to why Lian Yu was a good place to transfer the meta-humans.

_"Great. So we ship them from one illegal black site to another." _Joe then said, not approving of this idea at all.

_"Yeah… I guess so… I guess…" _Barry then said tentatively. He does not have a better idea at the moment and this was the only option that he could think about right now.

_"How do we move them to Oliver's own private Alcatraz?" _Joe said, still not approving of the plan willingly, but wanting to help Barry nonetheless.

_"I'll call him. Maybe he can help with transport." _Barry replied while pulling his cellphone out before adding as an afterthought, _"And Cisco, if we do this, nobody can get loose." _

_"I might have a way of getting them out of here safely." _Cisco replied as he was deep in thought of how to transfer the prisoners to Lian Yu safely.

_"Alright. Get on it." _Barry said which led Cisco and Caitlyn to leave and get working on the tech that they needed.

Once Barry and Joe were alone, Joe then said to the former, _"Barry, this is insane!"_

_"Joe, we have to do this." _Barry then replied as he reasoned with his surrogate father.

_"You don't think that if we start busting out supervillains through downtown, nobody's gonna notice?" _Joe then said punching holes through Barry's plan.

_"Oh, they'll notice. That's where you'll come in. Maybe you could ask the police department for an escort?" _Barry then asked hoping that Joe will say yes.

Joe gave a deep breath, and despite the fact that he does not agree with Barry's plan at all, he was still going to be supportive so instead he said, _"All right Barry, I'll try but I can't promise anything."_

_"Good enough." _Barry said as he stepped out of the main room of STAR Labs, and dialed the number to Oliver Queen's cell phone.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Al Sah-Him was in his quarters when he heard his cell phone ring. His cell phone was returned to him as soon as his transformation was over. He looked at the picture and the name of the person calling. The man in the picture looked young, almost like a teenager, and the name below said _"Barry Allen". "Barry Allen" _Al Sah-Him said under his breath. It had to be someone from Oliver's past life. He then remembered that this person is from Central City. Maybe he could use this person to get to the Reverse Flash? For now, he had to be Oliver Queen. He answered the call but allowed Barry to greet him first.

_"Hello? Oliver?" _Barry asked through the other line.

_"Yeah, Barry. What is it?" _Oliver replied.

_"I need help with the transfer of Metahumans from STAR Labs to Lian Yu." _Barry divulged to Oliver. Barry always looked up to Oliver Queen. As soon as he knew that Oliver was the Arrow, Barry thought of Oliver as a mentor. When Barry became the Flash, the first person that he approached was Oliver and told him that he could be better than the Arrow and that he could inspire people. It was also Oliver who gave him the moniker of "The Flash" and he was grateful for all of the things that Oliver has done for him. Barry would do anything for Oliver if he asked for it and he was even defending the Arrow from Joe West and Harrison Wells at some point when they thought of Oliver as dangerous and a negative influence for him.

_"What happened to the prison facility that you have at STAR Labs?" _Oliver inquired. He had been to this facility and found it impressive but he found his prison in Lian Yu to be better. However, there has to be something more to this story than a simple prison transfer and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

_"Well," _Barry started, unsure where to begin. _"Harrison Wells is the Reverse Flash and he re-activated the particle accelerator. If the prisoners are inside their prisons and the particle accelerator explodes again, then these people could die. That's why we need to transfer them to your facility for a while. Oliver, I need transport. Could you provide us with one?" _He then continued, explaining in detail about what he needed and what was currently going on in Central City.

Al Sah-Him listened intently as Barry explained the situation at Central City. He was not surprised when Barry told him that the Reverse Flash is Harrison Wells. From the moment he met Harrison Wells, Oliver perceived that there was "something off" about him. He did not pursue the issue because it was not his business at the time and no one would believe him anyway because he had no proof. Now that Barry knows, this could fall to his advantage.

_"I'm sorry Barry." _Oliver began to say, trying to sound sincere. _"I can't help you with transport. I'm currently in Nanda Parbat doing something." _He continued before stopping short. Al Sah-Him did not want Barry to find out what was going on with him and how ruthless he had become._ "How about calling Dig's wife, Lyla? I'm sure that she could hook you up with the transport that you need."_ Oliver then said to Barry and offering him an alternative solution.

_"Yeah, okay." _Barry replied, agreeing with the alternative solution presented.

_"Oh, and Barry?" _Oliver said over the phone.

_"What?" _Barry replied.

_"I'm going to Central City the day after tomorrow to help you with your problem with the Reverse Flash." _Oliver then told Barry.

Barry was excited at the news. Oliver was going to help him deal with his nemesis and he was excited, and honored at the prospect of working with the Arrow once again. Without even hiding his excitement, he then replied, "_This is so cool. I'll see you then."_

_"Okay, Barry." _Oliver said then he hung up the phone.

Al Sah-Him took a deep breath. It was difficult to be someone that he's not, well not anymore. He just hoped that he sounded convincing enough so that Barry would not suspect that he has changed. He was not ready to reveal what he is now to anybody, not yet at least. After all, he could use all of his former contacts to his advantage and he intends to use them.

He then thought of Ray Palmer. Ray is smart and technologically savvy. Then he thought of the skills of the Reverse Flash and maybe Ray could have something technological to help him slow down the Reverse Flash. Al Sah-Him would have the advantage if the Reverse Flash is slowed down enough for him to have the opportunity to knock him out. The assassins that he would bring with him and the Flash could serve as his distraction as well as his protection if his plan goes south.

Al Sah-Him really didn't have Ray's number in his contacts. He and Ray were never really close friends and never got to interact much. So he went out of his quarters and saw some of the assassins guarding his door. He went to them and looking regal with his hands behind his back, he commanded them. _"I need to contact Ray Palmer from Starling City. Get me his number, NOW." _He emphasized on the word "now" in order to make sure that the assassins know that he means business. The assassins then left his quarters to get the information that he needs as another two guards replaced them and were now standing silently outside his door. All Al Sah-Him could do now was wait…

After about an hour, an assassin knocked on his door. _"Enter." _He said acknowledging the assassin's presence. It was Sarab.

Sarab bowed down to Al Sah-Him before stating_ "Here is the list of assassins stationed at Central City. They have been informed of your presence the day after tomorrow." _Sarab then handed him a piece of paper that contained names stationed at Central City.

_"Here also is the contact number for Ray Palmer." _Sarab then said, handing over another piece of paper with numbers on it._ "What do you need it for?" _He then asked, curious about Al Sah-Him's wish to contact Ray Palmer.

_"I need technology in my arrow that could disable the Reverse Flash's speed and I believe that Ray Palmer could develop that technology for me." _Al Sah-Him said in a cool, calm and collected manner. Sarab was quite impressed. Al Sah-Him was more strategic than when he first worked with Oliver. It seemed to Sarab that Oliver has grown a lot since their time together in Hong Kong.

_"Tell the assassins of Starling City that I will be arriving there tomorrow afternoon." _He ordered Sarab which the latter acknowledged, bowed before him, and left the room.

Al Sah-Him took a deep breath and dialed the number that was given to him. The phone rang longer than usual. _Probably hesitant about answering a number which he did not know._ Al Sah-Him thought to himself as he continued to wait for the person at the other line. A few more rings before Ray Palmer finally answered the phone.

_"Hello?" _Ray said in his usual cheerful tone.

_"Ray." _Oliver replied, acknowledging that it was Ray indeed at the other end of the line.

_"Oliver?" _Ray said, surprised before continuing, _"How did you get my number?"_

_"It doesn't matter." _Oliver said at the other end of the line, dismissing Ray's surprise. _"Look, I need your help." _he continued.

_"What do you need?" _Ray said, eagerly. After all, Oliver did a lot to help him face Deathbolt. It was the man on the other line that literally saved his life during that time and if it wasn't for Oliver, he knew that he'd certainly be dead. So, naturally he was willing to return the favor and this was one of the instances wherein he could repay some of the debt.

_"I need something that I could retrofit into my arrows that could disable metahuman speed." _Oliver said and explained what he needed.

_"You're going after Barry?" _Ray asked, quizzically. He has no idea what's going on and why Oliver was going after Barry Allen.

_"No, not Barry, but someone with the same abilities." _Oliver tried to hide his surprise as he said this. How did Ray know of Barry? When did they meet? How did Ray know of Barry's abilities? Oliver shook these questions out of his mind and instead focused on the task at hand. _"So, could you help me?"_

_"I have some nanite technology here that might be exactly what you need." _Ray replied.

_"I need enough of those nanites to retrofit into four of my arrows." _Oliver said before asking, _"Could you make those nanites by tomorrow evening?"_

_"Of course, I can." _Ray replied in a smug manner. To him, it seemed like Oliver was questioning his intelligence and his capabilities and he would have none of it. Ray was quite offended at the notion that Oliver did not trust him enough to finish the nanite technology that he asked for. Ray was going to prove Oliver wrong in this matter. _"Will you be picking it up by tomorrow evening?" _Ray then asked.

_"Yes, I will be picking it up at your office tomorrow evening." _Oliver replied over the phone.

_"Should I tell Felicity that you'd be in Starling by tomorrow evening?" _Ray asked. Even though he and Felicity broke up, he still cared for her and wanted her to be happy. He knew that if Oliver was in town and alright, Felicity would be happy.

Al Sah-Him took a deep breath. He was expecting this question from Ray and he knew that it had to happen eventually. After all, Felicity Smoak was Oliver's true love and sooner or later people would want them to be together once again.

_"No, don't tell Felicity." _He said this sterner than he should have. _"I'm not going to stay long anyway and it would only hurt her more if she knew that I had to leave again." _Oliver continued after the stern warning, this time, in a more relaxed and calm manner.

Ray was initially surprised by Oliver's stern tone but he understood what Oliver is trying to say and thought that Oliver might be right. Telling Felicity that Oliver would be in Starling only to leave again might be a cruel joke to her and might re-open the wounds that she was trying to heal. It might be too much to bear for Felicity at this point, so Ray would follow Oliver's instructions about not telling Felicity anything.

_"Alright, I won't tell Felicity and she won't be here tomorrow anyway. Diggle and Lyla invited your sister and Felicity over for dinner at their house. I'll see you tomorrow evening then?" _Ray then asked.

_"Yes. Tomorrow evening. See you Ray." _Oliver said in closing.

_"See you." _Ray replied, and Oliver hung up the phone.

With his plan in place, Al Sah-Him took a deep breath because all he could do now was wait for tomorrow to actually put his plan in motion…


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Al Sah-Him woke refreshed and early. He prepared some clothes yesterday because he was going to be gone for the next 48 to 72 hours and wanted to get to Starling City in the afternoon to prepare for his meeting with Ray Palmer in the evening. After taking a quick shower and getting dressed in a body tight black shirt, black pants and black boots, he went outside his quarters with his clothes and gear in tow.

As he exited his quarters, he saw Sarab already waiting for him with his gear.

_"Let's go." _Al Sah-Him then said and walked away towards the outside of the palace where his horse was waiting for him.

Sarab, Al Sah-Him and two assassins then sped off with their respective horses towards the plane. Once they reached their destination, Al Sah-Him and Sarab dismounted their respective horses and handing them over to the assassins that were with them, no doubt at the behest of Ra's Al Ghul.

_"Take care of these horses and bring them upon my return." _Al Sah-Him then commanded them before going to the plane. The assassins bowed down before him before guiding the horses back to the palace in Nanda Parbat.

~o~o~o~o~o~

_"Our destination, Warith Al Ghul?" _the pilot asked.

_"Starling City." _Oliver then commanded the pilot.

_"Yes, sir." _the pilot replied as Sarab and Oliver both strapped themselves in.

As the plane was now hovering above the clouds, on its way to Starling, Al Sah-Him took this opportunity to have a conversation with Sarab. He had not seen this man in a long time and was curious how he ended up here.

_"So, you ended up with the League of Assassins, huh?" _He started the conversation.

_"Yes." _Sarab replied.

_"So, are you going to tell me how you got here?" _Al Sah-Him said curious about Sarab. What happened to him after his kid died? He needed to know.

_"I was wondering when you were going to be asking that question." _Sarab started. _"After the incident in Hong Kong, I wandered the streets for a few days without purpose." _He began telling his story to which Al Sah-Him listened intently.

_"One night at a local pub, there were two men talking about a place where people could forge their pain and suffering into something else near the Hindu Kush. The other man did not believe him of course and that he thought that the story being told was only a myth. However, I was curious so I went there. When I reached the Hindu Kush it took me a few more days before I finally found the palace because it was too well hidden. I entered it and demanded to see who was in charge."_

_"But weren't you intimidated by Ra's Al Ghul?" _Al Sah-Him asked, interrupting Sarab's story.

_"No. I was not. This was not because I was brave because I am not. But it is because I have never heard of him or what he might do to me prior to my joining the League. And because after the death of my son, I feel like I have lost everything." _Sarab replied solemnly.

_"So, I gave him something in exchange for my joining the League of Assassins to at least help with my pain, which he accepted, and here I am." _Sarab then ended his story.

Al Sah-Him was listening intently to the story, but he felt that Sarab was leaving something out. What could Sarab offer Ra's in exchange for his entrance into the League? He knew he was going to find out eventually now that he was once again reconnecting with Maseo, or Sarab, as he is now called. The rest of the flight had been quiet so Al Sah-Him took the time to rest. He would have a lot of things to do once they landed so rest was needed and welcomed. Besides, he had Sarab to protect him while he rested.

Al Sah-Him woke up just before they landed in a private airstrip in Starling City. It was now late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set. He looked down from one of the windows and saw a limo waiting for them with a driver and what seems like two bodyguards. However, Al Sah-Him knew better. They were assassins and they were here to serve as his 'welcoming committee'. He's somewhat a 'big shot' where the League is concerned after all. Before he stepped off the plane, he pulled out a black robe with elegant silver linings on it and put it on. This was to accentuate his rank and make himself look like a royal in front of the assassins that he's going to meet.

As soon as Al Sah-Him stepped off the plane, with Sarab behind him and carrying their bags, the assassins stood in attention and waited for his command. The driver was the first to speak up.

_"Welcome back to Starling City, Warith Al Ghul. I am Hamad and these are Abdul and Hasan." _The driver said as he introduced himself and his companions. He bowed when he said his name and the other assassins also bowed towards him as they were introduced as a sign of respect for their leader.

Al Sah-Him did not make a sound as his face and his stare remained cold, calculating, and emotionless. He had his hands behind his back as the assassins introduced themselves to him. He knew from being a rich playboy that people of position and power never opened the doors of their own cars, unless they were the ones driving it. So, after the introductions, he just looked at the door and immediately, Hasan opened the door for him and he entered the car and sat at the center while Hasan was seated on his right and Abdul sat on his left with Sarab at the front of the car, after placing their luggage at the car's trunk, and the driver by the steering wheel ready to drive.

_"Where to my lord?" _Hamad said, waiting for instructions.

It was still too early to go to Palmer Technologies and he might as well check-in on the assassins stationed at Starling City so instead he said, _"Base" _and the driver rode off into the sunset towards the League HQ in Starling…


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

At the League HQ in Starling City, Al Sah-Him spent most of his time asking the assassins the status of the city and creating custom-made arrows that could carry and inject the nanites that he would be getting from Ray Palmer later in the evening. He was also preparing fletchettes and arrows that would contain viper pit venom to contain the Reverse Flash when needed. He was able to finish all these work in a short amount of time and found out that the night was still young. Al Sah-Him decided to take a tour of the city, alone if possible.

He changed into his League of Assassins fighting gear and then said to Sarab, _"I'm going out. ALONE." _

_"You can't go out alone. I'm coming with you Al Sah-Him." _Sarab protested. After all, it was his duty to protect the heir and he would be in great trouble from Ra's if the Heir was harmed in any way.

_"No. I'm going out alone and this is not a request, Sarab." _Al Sah-Him said, getting impatient at Sarab's impudence, and walking out into the night. How dare he talk to the Heir in this manner? Al Sah-Him knows that Sarab means well but if he can't defend himself against street thugs, he shouldn't inherit Ra's Al Ghul's position in the first place.

Al Sah-Him wandered Starling City thinking about what Ray Palmer said to him over the phone. This compelled him to arrive at a rooftop, fire a listening arrow and place a Bluetooth headset to his ear that he kept inside his dark grey colored overcoat. He then crouched down to listen to the conversation going on and pulled out his binoculars to look through the window of the apartment across from him.

~o~o~o~o~o~

It had been three months since Team Arrow lost their leader, Oliver Queen, to the League of Assassins and each member of the Team had been dealing with their loss differently. Diggle had been putting a lot of time in the work since Oliver left. In his mind, Oliver would not want the city in dire straits upon his return. He still believes that his brother would eventually return to the team and while Oliver was gone, he would make sure that Starling City would remain relatively safe even though crime rates had once again increased because the criminals have been emboldened knowing that the Arrow is dead.

Laurel still continued with her nighttime activities, with Nyssa training her to be better as a fighter and as a vigilante and with the Daughter of the Demon's tutelage, she is slowly becoming better in her craft. With Oliver and Roy both gone, she decided to up her game as she is now the only vigilante in Starling City.

Felicity was worried, lonely, afraid, guilty and sad all at the same time. She was worried because she might not see Oliver again. Lonely that Oliver could not be found at their new base inside Palmer Technologies. Afraid of what could happen to Oliver while he was still with the League of Assassins. Guilty that she did not even try to sneak Oliver out of Nanda Parbat and sad that her months are spent without Oliver in her life after that magical night in Ra's Al Ghul's palace. It is a wonder how Felicity gets herself up in the morning and the only reason that she was able to get up is because she feels, in her heart, that Oliver is still alive.

Thea had the worst of it all. She feels guilty because if it wasn't for her, her brother would still be with them. Because of her "death", Oliver had to sacrifice himself to Ra's Al Ghul in order to bring her back to life and Thea is having a hard time coping with this fact. Malcolm had been trying to cheer her up, but she does not really trust him and with good reason. Aside from her guilt, she was feeling lonely once again and it reminded her a lot of the time when she thought that her brother died when the Queen's Gambit sank in the middle of the North China Sea.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Tonight, Team Arrow decided to come together and have dinner at Diggle's place. They have been doing this at least once a week in different houses to cope with the loss of their leader.

Lyla, was bringing out a dish while both Thea and Felicity were trying to feed baby Sara some chicken cacciatore.

_"And here comes the Cat-5 prong into the Ethernet port!" _Felicity said as she was holding a small spoon and slowly moving it towards baby Sara's mouth. Thea was opening and closing her mouth so that baby Sara could mimic her.

_"Even if she knew what that was, even if I knew what that was, I think Sara's still a little young for chicken cacciatore." _Lyla said as she sat on one of the chairs of their dining table.

_"Well, my mom used to feed me nachos from the bar at the Grand before I was off the bottle, and I turned out normal." _Felicity said as she also moved away from baby Sara and sat at the table opposite Lyla.

_"Ish" _Thea teased Felicity to which the latter ignored.

Diggle entered the house looking a little bit tired. He went to his wife, grabbed her glass of red wine and drank from it before placing his Glock on top of the dinner table.

Lyla noticed the dangerous looking gun on top of the table and then said to her husband, _"John… what's the house rule?" _

Diggle, realizing what he had done, retrieved the gun from the dinner table, removed the cartridge that held the bullets, and placed them in a nearby cabinet, while saying, "_No Glocks on the dinner table."_

_"How'd it go out there tonight?" _Felicity said, trying to change the subject.

_"Your intel was spot on. Caught four Halcones at the docks trying to unload a shipment of M16s." _Diggle said, in a matter of factly way, as he sat at the remaining seat of the table, the one beside his wife.

_"Well, I'm especially proud that you didn't get yourself killed." _Lyla replied to his husband's report.

"_That was my favorite part too." _Diggle replied to his wife as he poured some red wine to his own glass then giving his wife a small kiss to her lips.

"_If you're gonna keep going out into the field, we should really design you some sort of…" _Felicity was starting to say before she was interrupted.

_"Do not say costume" _Diggle replied before Felicity could finish her thought. He really did not like the idea of wearing a costume because he thought of it as ridiculous, not to mention, uncomfortable. As much as possible, Diggle preferred to be comfortable when out on the field so that he could be able to adapt to any situation easier.

_"Ok. "Identity Concealment."" _Felicity replied when Diggle protested in wearing a costume. Felicity thought that Diggle should hide his identity especially now that he has a wife and a child that could be in danger if he continues on going out in the field as himself.

_"Look, eventually we're gonna have to figure out a new status quo, a working one, now that…" _Felicity started saying before she abruptly stopped. She could not bear to say, nor accept, the fact that Oliver might be gone, forever.

However, Thea finished the sentence for her. _"Ollie's gone."_

When Diggle heard Thea's voice, he immediately felt for her. It was difficult enough for him to lose Oliver so he could only imagine what Thea must be feeling right now. Since Oliver had not yet returned, he adopted Thea as his sister for the meantime and whenever she was lonely, Diggle tried to be there for her. Of course, he knew that he could never replace Oliver as her brother but he decided upon himself to give comfort to Thea whenever she needed it. Tonight was no exception.

_"How are you doing?" _Diggle asked her, with sincerity in his voice. After all, he was worried about Thea because this was the first time that they discussed Oliver's disappearance at all. During the months that they held dinners, they discussed other things and avoided any discussion of Oliver in order to help them forget that they lost a leader, a family member, and a friend but tonight they each had to face the huge elephant in the room… Oliver is gone.

_"Having never been resurrected before, I don't really have anything to compare it to." _Thea replied, trying to change the subject. It was really hard to talk about Oliver right now and she hoped that they would not discuss it.

However, Diggle was resolute to find out about what was going on with Thea as it relates to Oliver so he clarified his question, _"I mean about Oliver... being gone."_

Thea took a deep breath, she did not want to answer this question right now but then she guessed that answering this question might unload some of the burden that she was carrying in her heart and it might be comforting to share her feelings in front of her, and Oliver's friends.

_"I don't know" _Thea began to explain. _"Mornings are the worst. I can't really leave the loft so it's nice to be able to come here." _Thea continued. She knew that she really did not answer Diggle's question because honestly? She was not really sure how she could phrase what she was feeling right now when it comes to Oliver being gone.

Lyla, sensing Thea's loneliness, pain, and sadness then said _"You are always welcome in our home" _in order to bring some sort of comfort. She could only imagine the kind of pain that Thea could be going through and she would be willing to do anything to aid this poor girl in her time of need.

_"I just miss him." _Thea continued, expressing her true feelings and guilt, "_The fact that he's gone because of me…"_

_"He wouldn't want you blaming yourself." _Felicity replied trying to snap Thea out of her guilt. She was right, of course. If Oliver was here, he would not blame Thea for dying. Instead, he would blame himself by not acting sooner and capitulating to Ra's before Thea was killed in the first place.

Diggle, like the rest of them, was in deep thought. He was thinking about Oliver and their time together before he took a deep breath and said, _"In the military, they have a saying for a soldier that makes the ultimate sacrifice."_

Diggle then raised his wine glass and said, _"Gone… but never forgotten."_

Lyla, Thea, and Felicity all followed suit and raised their wine glasses. When Diggle said the saying, they all followed suit and said, in unison, "_Gone, but never forgotten." _The four of them then drank deeply from their wine glasses thinking of Oliver and the sacrifice that he has made for all of them.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Sarab could not resist the worry that he has for Al Sah-Him's safety so he tried to find him in Starling City. After a while, he found him crouched on a rooftop with a headset in his ear.

As Al Sah-Him listened to the conversation from the apartment opposite his location, he felt his face had turned wet. Had he been crying? If so, what for? Why was he affected by the conversation that transpired between the people in Oliver's past life?

_"I thought I might find you here." _Sarab said to Al Sah-Him.

Al Sah-Him wiped away the tears from his face and took deep breaths to gather his bearings. It was not good to see a leader of the League of Assassins cry. It could be seen as a weakness to them and he would not have it.

_"I told you not to follow me." _Al Sah-Him said, with anger in his voice. Sarab did not follow Al Sah-Him's command and this insubordination, he could not let pass. He would have to deal with Sarab, but not right now. He still needed Sarab for his mission and he was not going to compromise it. He would have to deal with him in Nanda Parbat, after his task here was over.

_"I tried to follow your command Al Sah-Him." _Sarab then replied, trying to reason with the Heir. _"But then I got worried, so I followed you here."_

_"I will deal with your insubordination later, Sarab." _Al Sah-Him replied. He did not want to do this but he had to in order to serve as a cautionary tale to the rest of the League that the Heir is not to be trifled with.

Sarab remained silent, knowing that his fate might be death for this insubordination. But then again, he thought of himself as soulless and a shell and was willing to accept his fate.

After a few moments of silence, Al Sah-Him then said, "_Is it almost time to go to Palmer Technologies?" _in the calmest, but authoritative, voice that he could muster.

_"Yes" _Sarab simply said.

_"Let's go back to base." _Al Sah-Him said feeling odd because he was sad that he had to leave, and yet, he was happy for some reason that he can't explain…


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Once Al Sah-Him and Sarab returned to base, Al Sah-Him changed into more comfortable clothes. He left wearing a black, form-fitting shirt, black pants, black boots, his black robe with intricate silver embroidery. He was also wearing a belt across his waist with his sword attached to it. It was more of a visit than a fight and besides he was not expecting Ray to fight them off because he couldn't and he would be foolish to try.

Al Sah-Him ordered Hamad, Abdul, Hassan and Jafar to go with him and Sarab to Palmer Technologies to meet up with Ray. The four assassins infiltrated the building through the ducts while Al Sah-Him and Sarab used the elevators as "Oliver Queen" was listed in Ray Palmer's list of meetings. Sarab then made an excuse that he was Oliver's bodyguard which then allowed him to go with Oliver towards the private floor where Ray tinkered with his suit and the floor where Felicity, Diggle, and Laurel uses as a make shift base of operations since the foundry was compromised.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Ray was working on his suit, trying to make it shrink, when he heard the computer monitors beep ferociously. He had placed sensors all over this floor for intruders and as if on cue, assassins appeared from the ducts and placed themselves at the four corners of the room where Ray was. They also drew their bows and aimed their arrows straight towards him.

And then a 'ding' was heard from the elevator before it opened. Out stepped Al Sah-Him and Sarab, as if on cue. Al Sah-Him then put his hands behind his back and walked towards Ray in a very dignified manner, similar to that of royalty.

Al Sah-Him raised his right hand up and said _"Hold!" _in a very authoritative manner and looked at all the assassins that were now strategically placed at the four corners of the room. He then motioned the assassins to put down their weapons using his hand which they all followed. The assassins then loosened their hold on the strings of their bows and returned their arrows to their quivers before standing at attention.

_"Um… Oliver?" _Ray said, quite nervous. Who wouldn't be if you have assassins all over your place and ready to kill you at a moment's notice? He also noticed the robes that Oliver was wearing and he had to admit, Oliver looked like a prince with those robes on him, especially in the manner that he walked and the way that the robes flowed as he walked. Of course, he would not say those words out loud if he did not want his ass kicked by Oliver Queen.

Al Sah-Him understood Ray's apprehension, maybe fear, and somehow, he felt a great deal of satisfaction in it although he does not understand where that feeling was coming from. With his hands now behind his back once again, he just simply said, _"Don't mind them. They're here for my protection."_

_"Your protection? From who? From me? You know I'm quite harmless… I can't really fight and I know that you can easily best me when we fight and -" _Ray began rambling, obviously still nervous at the assassins all around him.

Al Sah-Him cleared his throat to indicate to Ray to stop rambling. He had heard that the League has a lot of enemies, and these assassins were more about his protection from outside forces trying to harm the Heir to the Demon than it was for Ray. From the intelligence at Nanda Parbat, the enemies of the League are everywhere and it would be a huge blow to Ra's Al Ghul if his Heir would be killed while out on the field. Besides, Al Sah-Him has no intention of dying anytime soon. After all, if he wanted to, he could break all the bones in Ray's body and leave him lying on the floor in a heap and would not need the assassins with him now to protect him. Nonetheless, he needed Ray for the moment but he was not above hurting him if he wanted to. He refocused himself and then he asked, _"Are the nanites ready?"_

When Oliver cleared his throat, it got Ray's attention which stopped him from rambling. He did not want to upset Oliver in any way. Especially now when it seemed obvious to Ray that he had power over the assassins that now stood at the four corners of the room. He took a deep breath in order to calm himself and then replied, _"Yeah, they're over there." _and pointed at a container with silver liquid in it.

Al Sah-Him retrieved it from the table, before handing it off to Sarab. Al Sah-Him did not want to stay here longer than he should and he made his intention clear. _"I can't stay long. I have other matters to attend to." _He then said to Ray Palmer before turning his heel and started to leave. The assassins were also moving behind him and leaving.

Ray can't help but remember Felicity. Although they had broken up he still cared for her and seeing her every day at work, he can clearly see that something was wrong with Felicity and she was just coping. He understands that Felicity is having a hard time and he knew that the man before him now was the cause of all her pain. Maybe he could relay a message about how Felicity was doing? Surely, Oliver would want to know, at least, how Felicity was doing in his absence.

Just as Oliver was walking towards the elevator, Ray said, _"Felicity's having a hard time… and she misses you a lot, Oliver."_

Al Sah-Him did not acknowledge Ray's words and just continued walking. Felicity is someone from Oliver's past and that man is forgotten. And yet, he felt something at the name 'Felicity'. It seemed like his heart involuntarily skipped a beat and it seemed to Al Sah-Him that Oliver really loved this woman. However, he is no longer Oliver Queen and that name should, and will, not affect him in any way, any form, anymore. He is Al Sah-Him, Warith Al Ghul, and he knows that he has no time for love or any form of it because his responsibilities within the League are plentiful and would occupy most of his time. He then left Palmer Technologies and returned back to base. Al Sah-Him knew that he needed a good night's rest if he was going to face off against the Reverse Flash tomorrow. If he did not get enough rest, he could get killed and he would not be stupid enough to die due to lack of rest…


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

The following day, Al Sah-Him woke up early. The sun had not come up yet and for the brief time he slept, he felt refreshed and ready for the busy day ahead of him. He really did not need much sleep once he returned from the island and it seemed more like a habit to him now than anything else.

Since it was still too early, he thought about what his life had been so far and remembered something that he needed to do for someone. He took a piece of paper from the table in his room and began writing on it. Since he was not going to return to Starling City anytime soon and because he did not fear what the police could do to him, he wrote a signed confession of being the Arrow in order to clear Roy Harper's name from the police and allow his former apprentice to return to Starling City if he wished. A smile crept on his face knowing that Thea would be happy once she knew that Roy would be innocent and would not be hunted by the SCPD anymore.

After he was done writing his confession, he went to the door of his quarters, opened it and said to the assassin guarding the entrance, _"Tell Sarab, I wish to speak with him in my chambers." _and closed the door to his room again after the assassin bowed before him acknowledging his message and leaving to be replaced by another guard at his door.

After a few minutes, Sarab knocked on his door a few times before he said "_enter"_. As Sarab entered, Al Sah-Him was sitting on one of the couches with his fingers stroking his upper lip as if in deep thought. As was customary, he gave a bow of deference to Al Sah-Him before saying _"You called for me?" _

_"Yes I did." _Al Sah-Him replied, snapping him out of his thoughts. He then continued, _"I have some unfinished business in Starling City. I need eight of the best trained assassins that we currently have in Starling City and station four of them within earshot of the police station."_

_"What's going on Al Sah-Him?" _Sarab inquired, curious. He wanted to know what his leader was going to do at the police station that would warrant such an excessive number of assassins at his disposal.

_"I need to talk to Captain Lance regarding something and I need these assassins should I need an exit strategy. Captain Lance hates Oliver Queen and would arrest me as much as he would look at me. I hope it does not come to that though and these assassins would serve as an insurance policy." _Al Sah-Him replied sharing Sarab some of his plan. It was true. Captain Lance hated Oliver Queen with a passion. The Captain blamed Oliver for Sara's 'death' when Sara went on the boat with him and he also blamed the Arrow for keeping Sara's second death a secret from him. And now that the Captain knew that Oliver and the Arrow are one and the same, who knows how he would react once he entered the police station to file a signed confession.

_"Four assassins would be with me inside the police station and the four within earshot of the police station would serve as back-up should a commotion occur." _Al Sah-Him said giving more instruction to Sarab.

As soon as Al Sah-Him finished his instructions, Sarab bowed down to acknowledge the message and left out of the room to arrange everything. Sarab had been Ra's lieutenant for some time now and he knew his duties and responsibilities extremely well and this was one of it. He served as liaison between the Al Ghuls and the assassins.

After a hefty breakfast and a quick shower, Oliver grabbed the paper with his signed confession then proceeded to the limo on his way to the police station. He was wearing his black robe with silver embellishments, a black, form-fitting shirt, black pants and black boots. He did not want to wear his battle gear because this did not call for it. However, he wore a belt that hid his sword underneath his robe should he need to use it. Hamad, Abdul, Hassan and Sarab were with him and resumed their positions in the car, similar to the position that they had when Al Sah-Him returned to Starling City from the plane. Jafar led the other three assassins and took their positions outside of the SCPD headquarters but remained within earshot and hidden among the rooftops.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Captain Quentin Lance was busy with a lot of things. After the death of "The Arrow" the crime rates in Starling City had increased by 20% and are continuing to rise. The police department tried to keep the death of "The Arrow" a secret but secrets of this magnitude tend to not stay hidden for long. Due to this revelation, the criminals in Starling have been emboldened which led to the startling increase in criminal activity.

Hamad parked the limousine near the front of the police station and once he did, Sarab, Hasan, and Abdul all got out of the car and while the others closed their doors, Hasan kept his door open for Al Sah-Him to step out. After the Heir stepped out of the car, Hasan closed the door and they all proceeded to the police station. In the corner of his eye, Al Sah-Him saw movement in the rooftops like quick shadows. He realized that the assassins were in place should he need them which made him confident.

Captain Lance stepped out of his office to address one of his policemen about the report that the latter had filed on his table when he saw a familiar face at the door.

_"Queen…" _the Captain said through gritted teeth. Oliver Queen was the last thing that Quentin wanted to see.

_"Busy day, Captain?" _Al Sah-Him replied in a cool, calm, and collected manner as soon as he saw the Captain step out of his office. In his perceptive eyes, he was not wrong. Police officers were all busy doing something. They were answering phone calls, writing reports, walking to and fro from offices at a frantic pace and some of them even looked disheveled.

_"What do you want, Queen?" _the Captain said with as much venom as he could muster. He really could not stand the man in front of him. If he was not going to be arrested, he would shoot the man that stood in front of him right then and there and be over with it. And now, he was more annoyed at what Queen was wearing with his robe and his posture. It seemed to the Captain that Queen thought of himself as some sort of Starling City royalty and above everyone else. All he wanted to do was prove to the people that Queen was no more than a killer and a murderer.

_"It's not about what I want Captain. It's about how I could help you." _Al Sah-Him said still in a calm, cool, and collected manner which made the Captain a little bit unhinged but the latter did not show it. What is Queen up to now? Why should he care about what this man had to say? And yet here he was, a Captain, listening to what the man had to say.

_"Oh, yeah?" _Lance said in a mocking tone. _"And how do you plan to help me, Hmm?" _he continued.

_"By giving you this." _Al Sah-Him said as he extended his hand with a paper on it with his handwriting.

_"What is it?" _Captain Lance asked as he took the paper to read it.

Al Sah-Him did not reply and allowed the Captain to read his signed confession.

Quentin's jaw dropped as he read the paper. The Ra's character was right after all and that Oliver Queen is the Arrow as he suspected all along. And now, he had in his hand the confession of Oliver's guilt. He needed to play it cool though so instead he asked. _"So, what do you want in exchange for this, Queen?" _

_"A couple of things, Captain." _Al Sah-Him's tone turned more serious. They were now getting into the business at hand. This was a dangerous time for the police station without them realizing it.

_"First off, I want immunity for Roy Harper and that he be cleared of all of the charges against him." _Al Sah-Him said.

_"That could be done, Queen. However, Mr. Harper is dead and it's all thanks to you." _Lance replied.

_"No Captain Lance." _Al Sah-Him said. _"Roy Harper faked his death. He's still very much alive and somewhere you can't find him."_

_"Why you son of a bitch!" _Lance replied in a very angry tone this time. Once again, he has been duped by Queen. He is a Captain and being duped by someone else just gets on his nerves. Even if Oliver had nothing to do with the plan involving Roy, Captain Lance does not know that. All he knows was that Queen broke Roy Harper out of prison.

_"And the second thing." _Al Sah-Him started telling the Captain, still in a calm manner. _"You will not arrest me for this confession right here and right now."_

Now this was going over the line. How could Queen expect him not to arrest the man standing before him now and handing over his confession? He could not keep his anger any longer so he told Queen what's on his mind.

_"After all the things you did Queen, tell me why I should not arrest you here and now?" _Captain Lance replied. His tone was emphatic and menacing. He felt like he was in control of Queen's fate. He could not be more wrong. Little did he know that the entire SCPD was surrounded by highly skilled assassins.

When the assassins with Al Sah-Him heard Captain Lance's emphatic and menacing tone, they sprang into action. They formed a square around Al Sah-Him, their hands on the hilts of their swords ready to draw. The police officers in the station had their guns out and pointed it toward Al Sah-Him and the assassins with him.

_"Because Captain," _Al Sah-Him said with a stillness and a coldness in his voice. It was frightening to hear. _"I wouldn't want all of you to die." _He continued. Al Sah-Him had his hands behind his back. He was confident that his assassins would be able to defend him if push came to shove. He would only draw his sword when necessary.

_"Is that a threat?" _Lance said in a posturing tone of voice. It was as if he was grasping for superiority against the man that was now speaking to him. He could feel the tension in the room as he too was feeling his sidearm on his waist, ready to draw if he had to.

_"No Captain. It's merely a warning." _Al Sah-Him replied. His eyes turning dark, cold and calculating. _"You see, after your hunt for me, a series of unfortunate events happened in my life. This led me to join the League of Assassins. Now, I am the "Heir to the Demon" and these assassins in front of you now are under my command. Should I wish it or if I am provoked, I could order these assassins to kill each officer here. We are highly skilled and your guns and skills are no match for us." _He explained to Captain Lance and the police officers who had their guns out and were now pointing at him and his assassins.

_"It seems you have two options Captain." _Al Sah-Him continued with his own threat. _"You can either try to arrest me which would result in the death of all your police officers, including yourself, or you let us go, provide Roy with immunity for his crime as "The Arrow", and we would not bother you ever again. What's your decision Captain? Keep in mind that if you choose the wrong one, you would have no one to blame but yourself." _Al Sah-Him finished his speech. He made sure that he left the decision up to Captain Lance. The man always blamed him for his misfortunes, this time, if he selected the wrong option, the guilt would fall solely on Quentin Lance.

Quentin Lance hated his current predicament. In his mind, he had to uphold the law and arrest Queen but his heart told him to stay his hand to keep himself and his fellow officers safe. What was he to do? To top it all off, if he chose incorrectly, the blame would fall solely on him. Once again, he hated Queen with a passion to give him such options to think about. Is arresting Queen worth it? Would his conscience be able to take it if the threat that Queen gave was actually legitimate? After thinking about it for a while and looking around the tension filled room with officers pointing their guns and looking at him waiting for his command, he noticed that some of his officers were actually nervous. They were quite terrified at Queen's threat and the assassins before him looked legitimate as their stances showed that they were ready for a fight.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before stating to everyone in the room, in an authoritative manner, _"Stand down!" _which prompted the police officers to put away their weapons and eased the tension in the room.

_"A wise choice, Captain." _Al Sah-Him then said. He then proceeded to exit the station when he heard the Captain call after him.

_"This isn't over Queen. If I see your face again, I will arrest you." _

Al Sah-Him did not respond. He was not planning to be caught anyway. Once he exited the station, he raised his right hand up and commanded the assassins at the rooftops to return to base. He then went to the limousine and returned to base. He still had to go to Central City…


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

After packing up his battle gear and his clothes, Al Sah-Him rode the limousine and proceeded to the abandoned airstrip where the League's plane awaited him. As Sarab grabbed their gear, Al Sah-Him took the time to speak with Hamad and said to him, _"Keep me updated on important things going on in Starling."_

_"Of course, Warith Al Ghul." _Hamad replied and gave Al Sah-Him a bow of deference and understanding of his leader's command.

Al Sah-Him then turned and proceeded to the plane. Once he and Sarab were strapped in, he ordered the pilot to Central City and they lifted off to face the Reverse Flash.

~o~o~o~o~o~

A couple hours later, they arrived at the abandoned Ferris Air airport in Central City and below, another limousine waited for them. As soon as Al Sah-Him and Maseo stepped off the plane, an assassin stepped forward to greet them.

_"Welcome to Central City, Warith Al Ghul. My name is Aslam, and these are Saif and Naseer." _The assassin said and gave a bow where their names are mentioned.

Al Sah-Him did not respond and motioned one of them to open the door to the limo. Saif opened the door for him and he sat at the middle before being surrounded by Sarab and the other assassins that greeted him. He then ordered Aslam, the driver, to head to the Central City Headquarters to meet with the assassins and to find out what was going on with the Reverse Flash, The Flash and Central City in general.

Upon arrival at the League Headquarters in Central City, Al Sah-Him proceeded to the room used for meetings, or conferences, and here he was joined by Sarab, Saif, Aslam and Naseer.

_"So" _Al Sah-Him started the meeting. _"Any news from the Reverse Flash?"_

_"Ever since the particle accelerator was activated around 30 hours ago and Eddie Thawne was found at STAR Labs, we haven't heard anything from the Reverse Flash." _Naseer said.

_"How about Dr. Harrison Wells? Any news on him?" _Al Sah-Him said.

_"No news on him either." _Saif replied this time.

_"What does the Reverse Flash and Dr. Harrison Wells have in common?" _Sarab inquired.

_"They are one and the same person." _Al Sah-Him replied as added information to the assassins that were now in conference with him.

_"After your meals, tell all the assassins of Central City to find Dr. Wells. If you can't find him 'till late in the afternoon, return to the Headquarters so that I'd be able to give you instructions for the alternate plan personally." _Al Sah-Him said as the others bowed down to him and left to follow his instructions. He had a secondary plan if he was not able to find Dr. Wells until sundown. Al Sah-Him knew that sooner or later, the Reverse Flash was going to go after Barry Allen and most likely a confrontation would happen at STAR Labs, all he had to do was wait.

~o~o~o~o~o~

It was late afternoon and the assassins returned. They were still unable to locate the Reverse Flash or Harrison Wells. This now prompted Al Sah-Him to proceed to Plan B. Aslam, Saif, Naseer, and Sarab reconvened in the League Headquarters Main Hall where Al Sah-Him then said, _"I'm going to STAR Labs tonight. I want each of you to occupy each rooftop surrounding the building." _He then commanded the assassins that are with him and assigned them to four of the rooftops surrounding STAR Labs.

_"What for, Al Sah-Him?" _Aslam asked him. He wanted to know why they were going to STAR Labs tonight.

_"Should the Reverse Flash show himself, I want you to distract him by firing arrows towards him as a distraction until I can slow him down. Now, no one else should be hurt in the process as our main objective here is to take out the Reverse Flash, and the REVERSE FLASH ONLY. Is that understood?" _Al Sah-Him said as a command to the assassins. He did not want Barry Allen hurt. He knew that he could use him for a purpose that only he knows and he was sure that Barry would owe him if he takes out the Reverse Flash tonight.

The assassins that were there with him replied _"Yes, my lord." _and Al Sah-Him dismissed them in order for them to get ready. He also had to get ready so he made his way to his quarters in Central City and dressed up in his battle gear. He also poured the nanites onto his customized arrows carefully and placed them on his quiver. He also made sure that he placed the arrows and fletchettes that he imbued with Tibetan Viper Pit Venom onto his quiver while the fletchettes were placed in certain holders that were placed in some areas of his body. Once he was ready, he stepped out of his own quarters and said to the assassins waiting for him, _"Let's go."_


	21. Chapter 21

**Once again, thank you everyone for your comments, follows, and favorites. It really makes this writer happy and encouraged to write for all of you. By the way, sorry for the long chapter, I had written the fight in much detail and, in turn, this chapter turned out longer than my other chapters. =)**

CHAPTER 21

Al Sah-Him took his place on the roof of STAR Labs facing its entrance while the rest of the assassins took their respective places in the other rooftops located around STAR Labs and made sure that their places have a clear view of Al Sah-Him's position. It was here where they all waited patiently and in silence for the Reverse Flash to show himself. Al Sah-Him always trusted his instincts because it has never failed him and he was hoping that his instincts would not fail him now or this 'stakeout' would be futile.

~o~o~o~o~o~

After a couple of hours, night has fallen and Barry, Caitlin, Cisco and Joe were inside STAR Labs after the transfer of prisoners went awry and now on the loose due to Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold. Barry was dejected, after his plan had failed, and was sulking near the prison cells. Joe was trying to console him and Caitlin was at the medical area trying to recuperate after "Rainbow Raider" unleashed all her rage. Cisco was manning the computers when all of a sudden, alarms went off of the whole building.

_"What the hell was that?" _Joe said as he immediately stood up and looked around the room in an alert state. Barry followed suit and looked towards the entrance of the prison.

Cisco slid over his chair to one of the computers that he was using to monitor the particle accelerator. His eyes then went wide at what he saw. He then said through the P.A. system in a panicked and nervous tone, "_Guys… the particle accelerator is fully charged and online. Whatever Wells needs it for… it's ready."_

Upon hearing this, Barry and Joe rushed over to the main laboratory area and looked at the monitors. A few seconds later Caitlin joined them and sat on one of the chairs. Barry was looking at the computer that was connected to the camera at the entrance of STAR Labs, and there he saw Harrison Wells moving closer and closer to them and walking in a casual manner.

Joe was pacing near Barry as he saw what Harrison Wells was doing. He thought that Wells was trying to lure Barry out in order to trap him. So, as soon as Wells opened the gate into STAR Labs, he then said to Barry, "_Barry, don't even think about it."_

Barry was not responding to Joe. He was too fixated on Harrison Wells, or Eobard Thawne, or The Reverse Flash, or whoever the hell he is. In Barry's mind, this man killed his mother and all he wanted right now is to capture him and make him confess for the crime that the man committed.

_"Barr… no," _Joe continued to plead Barry.

However, while Joe was pleading, the computer monitor showed Wells with a smile on his face and his arms and palms outward in a gesture that was mocking Barry to go out there and face him.

_"You can't go out there by yourself…" _Caitlin said, also pleading with Barry. She knew how dangerous Wells is, and Barry might not be able to handle the Reverse Flash on his own.

However, Joe and Caitlin's pleas have fallen on deaf ears. For Barry, this was personal and this was a good chance, if any, to face The Reverse Flash to possibly capture him. _"Yeah, I can." _he replied with a determined look on his face before he sped off to meet with Wells outside.

~o~o~o~o~o~

After a couple of hours of waiting on the rooftop of STAR Labs, Al Sah-Him's instincts have not failed him as he saw Harrison Wells a couple of blocks back from their position. He patiently waited for the Reverse Flash to come closer to the building. After Wells opened the gate, he made a mocking gesture. It was most likely for Barry because he was silent enough not to alert Wells to his presence. For the meantime, he was going to observe the situation because he knows how to assess, interpret and use the situation to his advantage.

A few seconds later, Barry was outside of STAR Labs and in front of the Reverse Flash.

_"Well, I heard that your prison transfer didn't go so well. I'm so sorry." _Harrison Wells said, not sounding sincere at all. From what Al Sah-Him could observe from the rooftop, Well's tone sounded mocking and amused at the same time.

"_All a part of your plan, I assume?" _Barry responded with anger and bitterness in his voice.

Al Sah-Him realized that there was something going on between the two men in front of him now and that Barry was at the receiving end of that event. Al Sah-Him was curious about what had happened that led Barry to be angry at the Reverse Flash but he also knew that this was neither the time, nor place, for such questions.

_"Actually, that didn't factor into my plan at all but I'm impressed. You went to such great lengths to keep those people from harm. Ever the hero, huh, Barry?" _Wells then said, still mocking Barry. This time though, his voice had arrogance about them.

"_You've hurt enough people." _Barry said definitively. He was psyching himself up to face The Reverse Flash and possibly beat him this time. Every time they faced, Wells was always faster and this time, he was not going to fail.

"_I know. You see me as the villain but Barry, if you would have looked back… look back carefully at everything I've done, every wheel I have set in motion you would realize I had only done what I had to do, nothing more, nothing less." _Harrison Wells then stated becoming more serious which Al Sah-Him took mental note of as he continued to listen from the rooftop.

"_And the particle accelerator? How does that fit into your grand plan?" _Barry asked which only made Wells smile. In Wells' mind, Barry is an idiot if he still does not know what Wells has planned for the particle accelerator.

"_Well, why don't you come on inside. Let me show you." _Wells then replied trying to lure Barry into something only he knows about.

However, Barry learned his lesson well about bad guys and replied, _"You know I just learned the hard way NOT TO TRUST the BAD GUY." _

_"And yet, I've shown you time and time again, you can't beat me Barry."_ Wells then replied.

All of a sudden, Al Sah-Him saw a man, literally just burst into flame, and yet not get burned. It also seemed that this man has the ability to fly because he was slowly lowering himself down behind Barry before walking towards him. He stood up from the rooftop and noticed that Barry had a smile on his face which made him realize that the man beside Barry was an ally.

However, Harrison Wells did not seem fazed by the arrival of this fire-wielding and flying man. This is because Al Sah-Him heard Harrison Wells say, _"Wow, you brought yourself a friend."_

This was it. It was now time for him to introduce himself and join the fight. Al Sah-Him then grabbed his zip line arrow placed it on his bow and shot it towards the wall of the adjacent building from his position. The assassins with him then stood at attention once he zip lined down, using his bow, and jumping off behind Barry and joining the latter on his right side.

_"Welcome, Mr. Queen." _Wells then said as his smile was removed from his face. With the arrival of Oliver Queen, Wells knew that he had to take the man seriously. He knew that most villains were afraid of the man that now stood in front of him because the Arrow was ruthless, and has a no nonsense attitude when he fights. He also knows that the Arrow is cunning and would not join in the fight without a plan.

_"Hope we're not too late." _Al Sah-Him said. Although he had been waiting at the STAR Labs rooftop for hours with his assassins, he had to keep up pretenses that he had just arrived.

It would seem that Barry believed him because he then replied, _"You're just in time." _in a more confident manner. Clearly, Barry was glad that "Oliver" was here with him.

"_I don't care how fast you are. You can't fight all three of us at the same time." _Barry then said to Wells feeling confident that the three of them could be enough to finally capture The Reverse Flash.

Harrison Wells did not remove his eyes off of Oliver when he was being addressed by Barry. In his mind, Oliver was the most dangerous among the three and he would have to be careful when he faces the Arrow. When Barry was done addressing him, that was the only time that he looked back at Barry and then said to him "_Oh I can't?" _with a smile before turning serious again and continuing,_ "Trust me, this… this is going to be fun."_

Harrison Wells then balled his right hand into a fist and extended it towards them. He had a ring on it which glowed when he extended it. This prompted Al Sah-Him to get his nanite arrow, place it on his compound bow and direct it towards The Reverse Flash just as the others had 'powered up'. The assassins on the rooftops followed suit and placed their arrows onto their bows and aimed it below towards the person opposite Al Sah-Him.

Harrison Wells' Reverse Flash suit came out from the ring and as he started to run after it, The Flash tried to intercept Wells and the fight started.

Al Sah-Him only started seeing red and yellow streaks because both the Flash and the Reverse Flash were moving so fast. It would also seem that the assassins from the rooftops were having trouble because no arrows were shot coming from them as well.

_"Move Barry…" _Al Sah-Him started to say as he moved his bow arrow trying to aim and get a shot in. _"BARRY MOVE!" _he said again as he steadied his bow at an area hoping for Barry to get out of the way so that he could fire his arrow.

In the corner of Al Sah-Him's eye, he saw the burning man fly out of sight as soon as he shouted for Barry to move. It was possible that he was going to fly above them and fire shots towards The Reverse Flash from a far.

All of a sudden, the speedsters stopped and Barry was pinned by the Reverse Flash on a part of the barricade that was surrounding them before being thrown towards the STAR Labs sign. Two assassins that were in their line of sight fired two arrows from the rooftops towards the Reverse Flash. The Reverse Flash caught the arrows but not before Al Sah-Him fired his nanite arrow and hit the Reverse Flash's knee and being hit by flames being hurled by the burning man with them.

Al Sah-Him noticed that the Reverse Flash did not burn when he was hit by the burning man which made him realize that the suit that the Reverse Flash was wearing is flame resistant. As he waited for the nanites to take its effect, he heard the burning man say, _"Come on!" _and inched closer and closer to the Reverse Flash. Al Sah-him thought it was a bad idea and he was right. The Reverse Flash rapidly rotated his arms which created a cyclone that blew the burning man away and The Flash followed him in order to catch him. This left Al Sah-Him and the assassins with him to face off against the Reverse Flash, that is, until the Flash comes back.

As soon as The Reverse Flash's attention was turned towards the arrow in his knee and removing it, Al Sah-Him then said, in order to bide him some time for the nanites to take effect, _"Nanites, courtesy of Ray Palmer. Delivering a high frequency pulse that's disabling your speed. You're not going to be running around for quite a while."_

All of a sudden, the Reverse Flash stopped vibrating. It was a clear indication that Ray Palmer's tech was working. The Reverse Flash then rushed over to Al Sah-Him to fight him without his speed.

Al Sah-Him waited for this moment, he knew that he had the advantage if the Reverse Flash's speed was disabled. Now was his time to knock him out. As they fought, punch after punch, and kick after kick, Al Sah-Him realized that the Reverse Flash is resilient. Even though his opponent could not land a strike on him, he was able to take multiple punches. He also thought that the Reverse Flash is skilled because he knows how to properly throw punches and kicks. Without his speed, however, the Reverse Flash could not keep up with Al Sah-Him's combat skills and after receiving multiple punches to the face and a strong punch to his stomach, the Reverse Flash landed on his back on the pavement and knocking off some road repair equipment along the way.

As the Reverse Flash stood up after being knocked down, he grabbed a lead pipe, in order to even the match, as he realized that he was outmatched when it comes to his fighting skill. When Al Sah-Him missed his punch, the Reverse Flash took advantage and delivered a well-aimed strike towards the former's abdomen which made him release his bow and stagger backward.

However, Al Sah-Him was trained to resist pain, due mainly through his training and his experience, that allowed him to continue on fighting despite the possibility of broken ribs. He grabbed the lead pipe, and tried to wrestle it away from the Reverse Flash, but the Reverse Flash was holding the pipe with both hands on each end and the hold on the pipe was too strong which lead him to use another tactic. Instead of wrestling the pipe away, he punched the Reverse Flash's face a couple of times before using momentum to throw the Reverse Flash sideward which made the speedster once again land on his back on the pavement, and made Al Sah-Him successful in removing the lead pipe from the Reverse Flash's grasp.

Realizing that he couldn't win against Oliver in this state, the Reverse Flash thought about vibrating his body in order to remove the nanite in him. The effects of the nanites seemed to be wearing off because he was able to vibrate his body and something silver was coming off of him.

As Al Sah-Him grabbed his bow, he saw the Reverse Flash was able to once again vibrate. He knew he did not have much time before the Reverse Flash gains his speed so he took out one of his arrows, imbued with Tibetan Viper Pit venom, and aimed it at the Reverse Flash. However, before he could shoot the arrow, the Reverse Flash was able to use his speed, grab him, and place him on his back while the Reverse Flash pinned him to the pavement and make him unable to move.

_"The history books say that you live much longer than most humans, Mr. Queen." _The Reverse Flash said as his hand vibrated. _"I guess the history books are wrong…" _He continued as his vibrating hand was inching closer towards Al Sah-Him's chest. However, Sarab and Saif both shot their arrows towards the Reverse Flash's shoulder blades from their respective rooftops.

The Flash returned just in time and knocked the Reverse Flash off of Oliver as the arrows landed about an inch above Al Sah-Him's own shoulders and bounced away from the Heir. Al Sah-Him then stood up as he heard the Reverse Flash say to the Flash, _"That's the spirit! You can't stop me Flash… _and you never will._" _He then raced up the STAR Labs building which the Flash followed.

Al Sah-Him took his time to catch his breath and think. He could not follow the Reverse Flash and the Flash as they raced the rooftop because they were too quick. What they don't have however is anticipation, and this skill, he has in abundance. Al Sah-Him is going to monitor the Reverse Flash's movements for the meantime and strike him when the opportune moment arises.

The fight between the Flash and the Reverse Flash was all over the place. They were facing, battling and running after each other over several rooftops until the Flash was able to lure the Reverse Flash on the edge of the STAR Labs building before shouting _"NOW!" _and the flaming man shot the Reverse Flash with fire coming from his hands which staggered the Reverse Flash backward and sent him off of the rooftop and onto a car below.

Al Sah-Him followed the fight and when the Reverse Flash landed onto the car, he found this as his opportunity to strike. He stealthily got on top of another car behind the Reverse Flash and as the Reverse Flash was coming to, he shot another one of his nanite arrows towards the Reverse Flash's right shoulder blade which disabled the Reverse Flash's speed and followed it up with a venom infused fletchette that he threw towards the speedster's leg which knocked him out.

He then jumped off of the car just as The Flash and the burning man went down from where they were to check on Al Sah-Him's handiwork.

Barry was glad for their help because he knew that he could not have done it without them. He then expressed this gratitude by saying, _"Thanks fellas!"_

"_No Problem"_ the burning man replied as Al Sah-Him continued to look at the Reverse Flash and observing the effect of the Tibetan Viper Pit venom. He did not know how quickly the venom would spread for someone like Wells who, like Barry, had quicker healing abilities.

_"Nice haircut." _Barry said, which made Al Sah-Him look at him and blinked as if in surprise. However, this made Barry smile and continued on with his teasing, _"And I see we've abandoned our traditional green."_

Al Sah-Him returned his focus on the unconscious, and possibly dying, Reverse Flash and then replied to Barry, _"Trying something different." _He then thought that now that he helped Barry with the Reverse Flash, maybe he could call in a favor if he needed it. He then said, _"Look, I might need a favor from you."_

Glad that it was basically Oliver who did all the work in the capture of the Reverse Flash, Barry would be more than happy to provide Oliver with as many favors as he needed. He then expressed his delight in helping Oliver by saying, _"Whenever, wherever."_

Al Sah-Him then gave Barry a nod and walked away with the burning man following him. He was successful in Ra's task for him. He defeated the Reverse Flash, and tomorrow he was going back to Nanda Parbat…


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

The following morning, Al Sah-Him woke up early as he usually does and after taking a quick shower and packing up his stuff for his return to Nanda Parbat, he proceeded to the dining hall to eat breakfast. At the breakfast table, he was glad to see that the meals were American: toast, peanut butter and jelly, scrambled eggs, ham, cheese and brewed coffee. Al Sah-Him would have to admit that he missed American meals and was glad to eat them in both Starling City and Central City. It would seem to him that meals were according to the country they were in.

After eating his fill, he told Sarab to grab his bag because they were leaving. The trip was short because they were not too far from the abandoned Ferris Airfield. Naseer opened the door for him and he stepped outside while Sarab was grabbing their things.

_"Thank you for spending your time with us at Central City, Warith Al Ghul." _Aslam said as he bowed his head in deference, which was followed by Saif and Naseer.

Al Sah-Him did not respond. He did not want to respond because he thought he didn't have to and responding to such sentiment would not be a good way to go. It might make him look weak. Instead, he turned his heel, and quickly moved towards the plane waiting for them and once he was strapped in, he said _"Nanda Parbat" _before the pilot even asked him where they were going.

_"Yes, sir" _the pilot replied and they took off.

~o~o~o~o~o~

They returned to Nanda Parbat just before the moon was visible in the night sky. There were also assassins below them waiting with his horse. Sarab was also provided with a horse and after Sarab placed his gear on his horse and saddling up, they raced back to the palace where Ra's was surely waiting for him.

_"Please follow us Warith Al Ghul" _one of the assassins said to him.

_"Bring my gear directly to my quarters." _He ordered the other assassin before giving a quick nod to the assassin who addressed him.

After a few twists and turns within the palace of Nanda Parbat, they arrived in front of a room which was opened for Al Sah-Him. Within it were two golden chairs, one smaller than the other, which looked like thrones.

He took a deep breath before moving towards Ra's Al Ghul who was sitting at the taller and bigger chair. He stopped in front of Ra's Al Ghul and bowed before him before saying, _"It's done."_

_"You did well my heir." _Ra's said as he stood up and proceeded towards Al Sah-Him. Once again, his heir made him proud and he was successful in his first ever mission. Ra's then proceeded to Al Sah-Him and held his shoulder.

_"Come sit with me. Take your rightful place as my heir. Here, in this place, is the representation of the Ra's power. Welcome to the throne room, Al Sah-Him." _He said and once again sat at the throne designated for him.

Al Sah-Him sat at the smaller throne and it felt comfortable. He thought that he could get used to this. As soon as he sat, Sarab entered the throne room and walked towards them. He had the look of defeat in his eyes and kneeled before them both.

_"My lords," _Sarab initially said before bowing down and kneeling before them. _"I have betrayed Al Sah-Him and not followed one of his commands while we were out in the field and for that betrayal I offer you my life." _He continued. He then took out his katana and offered it to them.

Ra's Al Ghul stood up and proceeded to Sarab, _"You have served me well, Sarab. However, it was not me who you betrayed but it is my heir. I am giving him the liberty to deal with you himself." _Ra's said as he looked at Al Sah-Him.

Al Sah-Him reluctantly stood up from where he sat. He didn't say anything because his mind was racing. What is he going to do? He wanted to set an example, but he didn't actually want Sarab dead. He didn't want to see Sarab tortured either. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and looked at Sarab. He then walked towards him, grabbed his katana and placed the blade on his neck. Al Sah-Him pushed the blade up to the point that some blood flowed through Sarab's skin before saying deciding on his fate.

_"In what we do, it's either kill or be killed." _Al Sah-Him started, still holding Sarab's sword to his throat._ "Therefore, if I am to become Ra's in the near future, I need the total obedience of those under me. However, the person that was once Maseo Yamashiro took hold of you and 'caused you to use your emotions and check on my safety. And so, since this was Maseo Yamashiro's actions and not Sarab's, I will not spill your blood. However, vestiges of your old life still remain and should you disobey me again, I will not hesitate to let you feel the full weight of your actions." _Al Sah-Him finally said before removing the sword from the man's neck and handing it back to him. He then turned his heel and returned to his seat beside Ra's Al Ghul.

_"You are finally learning how to rule the League, Al Sah-Him." _Ra's said as a sort of compliment.

_"It is because of your teachings, my lord." _Al Sah-Him replied back.

_"It must have been a long day for you, my heir. Rest, we have something important to discuss and travel to tomorrow." _Ra's then said as he was sitting in his throne.

Al Sah-Him stood up from his seat and proceeded in front of Ra's Al Ghul. He then gave a courteous bow before turning his heel and leaving the throne room. He then obeyed and proceeded to his quarters for a much deserved rest.

As soon as he arrived to his quarters, he went over to the balcony and look out of the window. The stars were shining brightly like pearls and the moon was perfectly round and illuminating the mountains. What will they be discussing tomorrow? Where will they be going? These thoughts occupied him until slept came over Al Sah-Him. He then changed into more comfortable clothes and finally slept…


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

_"This is a duel, Oliver" _Felicity said as she wore her red colored coat and black dress underneath. _"With one of the most dangerous man who has ever walked the earth." _She continued and he was pleading with Oliver.

_"I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think I could win." _Oliver replied with some confidence towards her. It would seem that he was trying to appease her that he would be successful in his quest to kill Ra's Al Ghul.

_"I don't worry that you can't beat him. I am terrified you won't kill him." _Felicity said as her voice was trembling and cracking. Her face expressed the terror that she was feeling through her veins and if only she could she wouldn't want him to go and face the Demon's Head.

_"That's not who you are anymore. And I'm afraid that Ra's is going to use your humanity against you." _She moved closer to him until they were almost face to face.

Oliver's heart melted under the pleading gaze of Felicity's eyes towards his own which led him to then reply to her, with a smile on his face, _"You're right. I'll stay."_

Felicity was taken aback, she did not believe that Oliver would listen to her at all. _"Are you sure?" _she said, confused as to what was now happening.

_"I'm sure of one thing. I love you." _Oliver said in the most carefree manner. It was as if what he said was the easiest thing to do, or say, in the whole wide world.

Felicity was happy with the decision and kissed him tenderly and lovingly. Oliver closed his eyes as he deepened the kiss. After a few seconds of the world stopping, with them at the center of it, they parted and after gathering their thoughts, as well as their breaths, Oliver then said, _"Let's go." _

_"Go where?" _Felicity asked as Oliver was holding her hand tightly and guiding her to the car. Once the both of them were inside, they drove off…

~o~o~o~o~o~

There was knocking at the door which startled Al Sah-Him awake. He was dreaming. And this dream, unlike all the others was a good one for a change. The assassin knocked again. _"Warith Al Ghul, may I enter?" _the assassin said through the door. Al Sah-Him assumed that the assassins learned their lesson not to enter his chambers until he was fully awake because the last time someone woke him, he threw a dagger that almost killed the assassin by puncturing his throat.

_"Yeah, Come in." _Al Sah-Him said as he sat up from his bed and began stretching his arms.

The assassin entered and he was carrying a plate of food towards his bed. _"Ra's Al Ghul said to bring you breakfast in your quarters today. He also said that he will meet you outside the palace after you have eaten." _The assassin then went to Al Sah-Him's bedside bowed down and offered him his tray.

Once, Al Sah-Him took the tray, the assassin stood up and proceeded to the door before bowing down again and leaving his quarters.

After he had eaten, he took a quick shower and dressed in his battle gear. The battle gear was a necessary precaution because he did not know where they were going and the environment that they were going to encounter and Al Sah-Him thought it best to be prepared for anything.

After he got dressed, he proceeded outside where Ra's Al Ghul was already waiting for him upon his horse. Sarab was holding his own steed and as soon as Al Sah-Him mounted his horse, they sped towards a place that was once familiar to Ra's Al Ghul and was unfamiliar to Al Sah-Him.

~o~o~o~o~o~

After riding their horses for about an hour, Al Sah-Him saw a place where rubble, dirt and sand had only remained. It was near the mountains and it seemed that civilization lived in this area a long, long, time ago. Ra's Al Ghul dismounted his horse which prompted Al Sah-Him to follow and tied it near one of the decrepit posts that still stood erect after what looked like an extremely long time.

Al Sah-Him and Ra's then walked together through the rubble and the sand. However, Al Sah-Him allowed Ra's Al Ghul to walk in front of him as a sign of deference. As he was taking things in, Ra's then told him a story about how he became what he is today.

_"Have not been back to this place since I pledged myself to the League." _Ra's Al Ghul began as he continued walking forward. It would seem that he was reminiscing about something based on his tone of voice, as Al Sah-Him noticed, but he did not say anything about it.

However, he was curious as to where they were and what happened to the place that they were walking on at the moment so then he asked, "_What happened here?"_

Ra's Al Ghul was proud of Al Sah-Him in his abilities and he was now starting to see Oliver as a son he wished he had. So when Al Sah-Him asked him this question, he freely obliged him and started off his answer in this manner, _"When I joined the League, I was conscripted with another man. Damien Darhk. We would become the prized agents of Ra's Al Ghul. We were his horsemen and he molded us into warriors the likes the world had never seen. We were as brothers." _

_"What happened to him?" _Al Sah-Him continued to ask, interested as to where this story was going.

_"He believed himself worthy of becoming Heir to the Demon, but I was the one chosen." _Ra's replied as they continued to walk.

Al Sah-Him understood the implications of this story. When an assassin is appointed as the Heir to the Demon, it is their responsibility to kill their rival. In this way, there would be no power struggle within the League and that the reign of the next Ra's Al Ghul would be unchallenged once they ascend to the throne. Al Sah-Him then said, _"So you had to kill him."_

At this response, Ra's Al Ghul stopped walking which prompted Al Sah-Him to do the same. The former turned around to face the latter and then said, "_Yes. But you see, I hesitated and with that hesitation, he found an opportunity to escape, taking with him his loyalists and water from the Lazarus Pit. And he has vexed me ever since._" Ra's then turned away from Al Sah-Him and moved a few steps in front while looking into the distance as if reminiscing of times long past. Snapping himself out of his revelry, he turned towards Al Sah-Him and said, "_And you…"_

Al Sah-Him was confused by this statement, what did he mean when he said "and him"? How did Damien Darhk vex him prior to joining the League? Telling the truth about Ra's Al Ghul's train of logic, he then said, "_I don't follow_."

Ra's continued walking again and Al Sah-Him followed as he informed his protégé about Damien Darkh. _"Damien continues the League's ways, but through his own organization filled with a hive of agents devoted to his own agenda. Last year, he tried to purchase Malcolm Merlyn's earthquake generator. He gave Gholem Qadir safe haven to Markovia, and he hired Mark Shaw to steal a secret file from ARGUS."_ Ra's Al Ghul stopped once again and faced his protégé and waited for him to process the information that he had given.

_"This was all the work of one man?" _Al Sah-Him replied as he processed each of the cases that Ra's mentioned. He had to admit, vexing him in this manner through his activities at Starling City made Damien Darkh an impressive, and yet, extremely dangerous man.

Ra's turned his head away, regret clearly visible in his face as he stated, _"The list goes on. Many lives have been lost, others endangered and all because I was slow to swing a vengeful sword and I will not have MY HEIR…" _he then sharply turned his head towards Al Sah-Him who was standing and listening to every word that he was saying before continuing, _"haunted by the same mistake."_

Al Sah-Him is slowly learning the man behind Ra's Al Ghul. The Demon's head has had many regrets in his life, and has a fatherly protective instinct towards him which made him human after all. He appreciates the gesture, though it was not clearly seen on his face. However, he knew that he had to do something and so now he had to ask it, _"What is it you wish me to do?" _Al Sah-Him asked as he stood at attention and waited for Ra's Al Ghul's command.

_"There is a rival who claims to be Heir to the Demon and you must eliminate this threat from your reign, and you must do so without mercy." _Ra's Al Ghul said to him before he started walking back to the horses.

_"But my rival is your daughter." _Al Sah-Him replied to Ra's. It was not in the tone of voice of protest but more of a matter-of-factly kind of way. He was going up against Nyssa Al Ghul. A woman he had respect for after providing her help in his fight against Slade's Mirakuru Army.

_"I know." _Ra's Al Ghul replied as he lowered his head while continuing to walk, _"but the League comes first. You will not be punished for this action as you are only doing my bidding. And in the eyes of the League, and mine, you are now my son." _He said as he mounted his horse, which Al Sah-Him followed, and they both returned to the palace at Nanda Parbat…


	24. Chapter 24

**Once again, thank you for following the story. It brings a warm feeling to my heart that my work is appreciated. Thank you for all your favorites, follows and comments because it keeps this muse happy. =)**

CHAPTER 24

Once they returned to Nanda Parbat, Al Sah-Him bowed down in deference as Ra's Al Ghul told him to prepare himself and left to go to the throne room. Al Sah-Him returned to his own quarters and commanded everyone to leave him alone. Once he was alone, took this time to think. Nyssa Al Ghul, he knew deep down, is a good person but was raced in a society wherein it was kill or be killed. Al Sah-Him buried his face in his hands. This woman is innocent, and yet, it was necessary for him kill her in order to appease Ra's Al Ghul and show his superiority to the assassins. Suddenly, he realized something. Maybe, he does not need to kill her, maybe he could break her and kneel before him or worst, imprison her until she gives up on her claim. In any case, anything is better than death for her and these were some ideas that he could put into motion. Al Sah-Him felt like he owed it to her to keep her alive because she might be of some use and because she had helped him when he was still Oliver Queen.

As he was thinking he heard a knock from the door and Sarab entered. After giving Al Sah-Him the customary bow, he then said _"I heard that you're going after Nyssa Al Ghul."_

Al Sah-Him snapped his head at the door and found Maseo addressing him. He took a deep breath before saying, _"Yes… yes I am, and I need your help."_

_"What do you want me to do, Warith Al Ghul?" _Sarab said as he stood in attention and waited for his lord's command.

_"Gather 40 of the best trained assassins in Nanda Parbat and tell them that they are coming with me to Starling City." _Al Sah-Him instructed Sarab.

_"Starling City, Al Sah-Him?" _Sarab questioned. He did not understand why they were going to Starling City when they were going after Nyssa Al Ghul.

_"Yes, Starling City. Ra's Al Ghul implied during my first dinner with Ra's Al Ghul and his family that Nyssa wanted to go back there. That's where she'll be. We leave tomorrow morning." _Al Sah-Him said to Sarab as an answer to his inquiry.

Sarab bowed down as he understood his lord's command before leaving the room and gathering the men that his lord would need in order to go after Nyssa Al Ghul, the Daughter of the Demon.

~o~o~o~o~o~

After Nyssa's departure from Nanda Parbat, she had returned to Starling City and got a place of her own. However, the place looked like a decrepit and abandoned warehouse with minimal resources. She needed to keep herself inconspicuous to the League because she knew that at some point, the League would come after her now that Al Sah-Him has ascended to the role of Warith Al Ghul.

While in Starling City, she had also made a new friend. It was Laurel Lance, Sarah's older sister. In some ways, a lot of ways, actually, Nyssa was reminded of her betrothed. From her laugh and her kindness, Laurel was like Sarah in these aspects. However, Laurel was more responsible and Sarah was more carefree. However, Nyssa did not mind the differences. Instead, she found a kindred spirit in Laurel and Laurel found one in Nyssa too.

Laurel saw Nyssa as beautiful and lethal; she also saw the kindness in Nyssa that others might not be able to see due to her upbringing. These qualities in her reminded her of Sara and because of this, she had become Nyssa's companion and mentee. Nyssa, offered her services to train her to become better as a vigilante. It was the least she could do after Laurel was the one who provided her with a place to stay and food when she needed to eat.

~o~o~o~o~o~

One night, Laurel was patrolling the streets and this was an opportunity to have a training session. As they were stalking the streets, Laurel saw a woman getting mugged. With anger in her voice she shouted, _"Hey!"_

The man saw her and he ran. Laurel chased after him while Nyssa was monitoring her apprentice's progress. Nyssa had decided that she was going to stay back and let Laurel handle the situation. However, she would step in if her apprentice was in an actually dangerous situation.

Laurel and the man that she was chasing after continued to run until the man encountered a steel fence. He tried to climb it but Laurel was able to catch him and pulled him down. The man landed butt first onto the pavement. Regaining his bearings, the man said as he stood up and pulled a knife out of one of his coat's pockets, _"Didn't you hear? Masks aren't wanted in Starling no more." _

The man began to run again but this time, Laurel was smarter because before the man could get far, Laurel was able to catch him, grab him by his coat and throw him towards the steel fence. She then said, _"Tell that to the woman you mugged."_

The man, with nowhere else to go, decided to fight. He tried to aim his knife towards Laurel's face but she was able to duck before giving blows of her own. She was getting some good shots in until the man used his knife and cut her arm which made her drop the baton that she was carrying. The man continued to move his knife as he moved forward; brandishing it, hoping it would land on Laurel's face. However, Laurel continued to move his head backwards as she stepped back to create separation between her and the man that she was fighting.

All of a sudden, 2 bolo arrows were fired, one hit the man in his chest, which tied up his arm and the other bolo arrow hit the man's leg which made him fall over because his legs were now also tied. Nyssa then casually walked over to Laurel, while keeping her eyes locked on the man that they captured and then said, _"You underestimated your opponent again."_

_"I should've known he had a knife." _Laurel responded while keeping her one hand on her injured arm.

_"He didn't have a knife." _Nyssa replied she continued to look at the man in front of her.

_"What the hell?" _The man said not understanding what was going on and who the woman was in front of him.

Because of this comment, Nyssa delivered a swift kick to the man's stomach which made the man writhe in agony, and unsheathed another knife, before saying, _"He had two."_

Because the man saw her face, she had no option but to kick him in the face and knock him out.

She then faced Laurel and started to walk before continuing, _"Shall we continue your training?"_

_"I'm starving." _Laurel replied and she was not kidding. She was hungry because fighting crime is exhausting and she needed food in her system in order for her to function properly as a vigilante. _"There's a diner near here that serves the best black and white milkshakes in Starling City."_

Not properly exposed to American food, Nyssa then asked, _"What is a black and white milkshake?"_

~o~o~o~o~o~

After they got changed into normal clothing, they then proceeded to the diner and bought two orders of burgers, fries, and black and white milkshakes. As Laurel was gathering condiments for their burgers, Nyssa then said, "_I never understood your country's need to fry everything," _with disgust in her face and holding up a fry.

_"That's because everything tastes better that way." _Laurel replied as she put the bottle of ketchup down on their table and sat down on a chair in front of Nyssa.

_"This is more oil than potato." _Nyssa replied still examining the fry.

_"Dip it in your milkshake." _Laurel said to Nyssa as she was gathering her utensils to use on her burger.

_"I sense you mocking me." _Nyssa replied thinking that dipping something oily in a milkshake is the oddest thing that she had heard. She also thought that Laurel was trying to make her do something idiotic.

Laurel laughed at Nyssa's remark. She was not trying to make Nyssa look stupid. She was trying to teach her how to eat fries properly in her culture. As she handed some utensils to Nyssa, she said, _"I'm serious." _Laurel said as she pushed Nyssa's milkshake closer to the latter before continuing, _"Here. Dip it in your milkshake."_

Reluctantly, Nyssa obliged and dipped her fry into her milkshake. After she did this, Laurel then said, _"I have to admit, It's fun seeing you like this."_

_"Like what?" _Nyssa said in a surprised tone of voice. What was Laurel talking about?

_"Like a normal person." _Laurel said as she watched Nyssa trying to eat her fry, dipped in milkshake.

_"I am a normal person." _Nyssa said, surprised at Laurel's comment. In her mind, there is nothing wrong with her, which makes her normal. She then, very hesitantly, took a bite of her fry covered in milkshake which made Laurel laugh.

_"I can't believe you just said that." _Laurel then said before drinking water from a straw.

Nyssa's eyes widened at the taste of the milkshake covered fry. It was delicious and she was actually enjoying the taste in her mouth. This small luxury created a smile in her face and for once, in a long time, she was happy. _"That's actually not bad." _she then said as she covered her mouth.

_"And the student becomes the teacher." _Laurel then said as she placed her water back onto the table.

_"You have a point._" Nyssa said as she nodded in agreement of Laurel's comment before continuing, "_For me, normal is a world where only the strong survive. One without simple pleasures." _Nyssa then gave Laurel a genuine smile and then added, "_Thank you, Laurel. I was alone and adrift and you have shown me kindness."_

Laurel was surprised at this statement. She didn't know exactly what to say and then she remembered how Nyssa helped Sara on the island. As she grabbed the ketchup to place it on her burger, she then said, _"I'm only returning the favor. Isn't that what you did for Sara?"_

_"No." _Nyssa replied as she shook her head. _"There's little comparison between my current situation and Sara's after her time with Oliver on Lian Yu."_

Nyssa, then grabbed her own water, took a deep breath and said, _"Speaking of my current situation, I might need your help."_

_"Why? What's happening?" _Laurel said as she took a bite out of her burger.

_"Now that Oliver has ascended to his position as Heir to the Demon, he will come for me with as many men as it takes to see me dead." _Nyssa said with a trembling tone in her voice. Her facial expression also showed fear of the things to come.

_"Oliver wouldn't do that." _Laurel said, not quite believing what she was hearing. This was Oliver Queen that they were talking about. A man who beats to his own drum and rarely listens to others. However, Nyssa's tone sent a fear in Laurel. If Nyssa was afraid, then she too should be scared about what is going to happen.

_"You need to understand, Laurel." _Nyssa started to say before continuing, _"That new recruits into the League undergo a process of reprogramming. The Oliver you once knew is now gone and replaced by someone else."_

Laurel swallowed a lump in her throat making her fear the situation even more. _"If this is true, then we need to tell Diggle and Felicity. We can't do this on our own. We need their help,"_ She said before standing up from her seat. _"Let's go." _Laurel said and the both of them left the diner.

~o~o~o~o~o~

After getting a night's rest and eating a hearty breakfast in Nanda Parbat, Al Sah-Him left on the League plane with Sarab and 40 of the best assassins in the League. Sarab also called the assassins stationed in Starling City for their arrival.

It was dark in Starling when they arrived and are met by Hamad, Abdul, and Hasan and a contingent of assassins stationed in Starling City. _"Welcome back, Warith Al Ghul." _Hamad said as He, Abdul, Hasan, and the rest of the assassins all bowed down to him in deference. After the pleasantries were exchanged, they then moved as one through the shadows of Starling City. As Al Sah-Him zip-lined and dropped onto one of the buildings, followed by Sarab and the assassins that were with him, he then addressed them and said, _"Tonight, Nyssa Al Ghul faces justice for her betrayal." _

Once the assassins dropped onto the rooftop, they gave Al Sah-Him a bow of deference, understanding his command.

_"Find her and inform me. Do not engage." _Al Sah-Him commanded.

One by one, the assassins faded into the cover of night to look for Ra's Al Ghul's daughter and deal with her…


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Nyssa and Laurel arrived at the Palmer Technologies building and proceeded to the private floor. Since the Foundry was compromised, Diggle, Felicity and Laurel have been using the private floor of Palmer Technologies as a make-shift base to continue their night time activities. Felicity was monitoring the computers while Diggle was watching and observing her.

Upon meeting Diggle and Felicity, Laurel did not waste time and said, _"I need your help. Oliver is coming for Nyssa. He's gonna kill her." _

Diggle slowly turned his head towards Laurel and saw that Nyssa was standing beside her. Oliver would never do such a thing. His brother did not all of a sudden become murderous. Oliver is a strong individual and Diggle was sure that his brother is going to survive whatever Ra's has planned for him.

Felicity was surprised at this comment made by Laurel. It's Oliver that they're talking about. A good man at heart and a person willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of other people. She did not even hide her surprise because she said as she turned towards Laurel and Nyssa, "_Wait a second, Oliver wouldn't. I don't see how."_

_"I think what she's trying to say is that Oliver wouldn't do anything to hurt you, Felicity, and the only reason he joined the League is to protect the people he loves." _Diggle said, continuing the point where Felicity took off.

_"And what you need to understand is that Oliver Queen is dead. He's a memory." _Nyssa said as she looked at Felicity. The former needed Felicity to understand that the Oliver she knew is gone.

_"Apparently, the League has some of their recruits undergo a process of reprogramming."_ Laurel said as she stepped forward and crossed her arms to prove the seriousness of her point.

_"Like brainwashing?"_ Surprise peppered in Felicity's voice and her eyes widened in shock. _"Oliver never said that he was signing on for brainwashing."_

_"The League's ways are shrouded in ritual and ceremony." _Nyssa replied. Her tone was somewhat somber. She had seen the horrors of the process of reprogramming and even participated in some of them at the behest of her father. However, she had really not understood the repercussions of this particular action until now. "_Oliver wouldn't even know what was happening to him_."

Felicity was panicking and who could blame her. Losing Oliver's body was already hard but losing his soul as well? A soul that she had been nurturing ever since his return from the island? She was having none of it. In a frustrated tone, more than anything else, she then said, _"I don't care. Oliver… he is stronger than that."_

Nyssa was starting to lose her patience and who could blame her. Her life is on the line and now she's asking for help from Oliver's former friends as a gamble and it would seem that she's on the losing end. She's starting to think that Diggle and Felicity might not be willing to help her in this endeavor. She then said, trying to remain calm, _"I did not come here to debate. Laurel insists that I bring this news to you myself but I can all I'm doing is damaging your memory of him. Perhaps it is better for you to not think of what Oliver has become. You can have that luxury." _

With fear in Nyssa's eyes in her failed attempt at asking for Diggle and Felicity's help, she walked away towards the elevators. Laurel quickly followed her and while walking, she said, _"Wait… where are you going?"_

_"To face him, and if necessary, my destiny." _Nyssa replied as she continued on walking.

Laurel then grabbed Nyssa's arm which made the latter stop, spin around, and face her. Nyssa then stared straightly at Laurel before continuing, _"I will not cower in the shadows waiting for death." _Nyssa, then left to go and face Oliver.

Laurel stopped and let Nyssa go. Once Nyssa was out of sight, she turned around to face Diggle and Felicity before saying, _"Great. Now, what are we supposed to do?"_

_"Nothing."_ Felicity started to say before continuing, "_No offense, but Nyssa is insane. Oliver is still Oliver!" _She said the last sentence with a lot of conviction. In her heart, Oliver has not changed despite the brainwashing, if that was even possible. Oliver is still the man that she loves and he would not, and could not, be affected by the brainwashing. She then walked off and proceeded back to her computers

_"Nobody knows the League better than Nyssa." _Laurel argued, while following Felicity. She has a point. Being raised within the League, Nyssa knows everything there is to know about the practices and traditions of the League of Assassins. _"And did you see the look on her face? She was terrified. I didn't even think that was possible."_

_"Even if Nyssa's right about Oliver…" _Diggle started to say.

_"Which she isn't." _Felicity interrupted. She was adamant that Oliver is still the Oliver that she knows and loves.

_"Getting between her and the League isn't an option. And since when does Ra's daughter become someone we stick our necks out for, Laurel?" _Diggle said and he too has a point. Haven't they learned enough from Oliver's experience not to interfere with League business anymore?

_"I know you're furious with Ra's for what he's done to Oliver. We all are. But Nyssa, she saved my sister's life. She gave her a home. She's a good person in spite of everything she grew up with. And the last time I checked, protecting good people, that is what we do." _Laurel said and pleaded with both Diggle and Felicity. She was desperate and her friend needed their help now more than ever and if they're still not going to help. She will.

Since Laurel was too adamant and would not change his mind, Diggle shook his head. He'd rather be guiding Laurel than letting her go out on her own against the League of Assassins so he said, _"Fine. Nyssa does seem to have an idea where we could find Oliver and the League."_

_"Well then I guess we shouldn't have let Nyssa leave alone." _Felicity said softly. She was still very reluctant to offer her help.

"_No, it's fine." _Laurel said as she shifted her view towards the computers and started typing. _"I just put a tracking device on her."_

_"What the—" _Felicity said as she moved closer to her own computers. She was instantly followed by Diggle.

Laurel was startled by the sudden movement and as soon as Felicity was beside her, she said, _"This isn't my first day."_

On the computer screen, there was a red dot on what seemed like a map of Starling City. It was Nyssa and she was on the move. They could not pinpoint the exact location but they were going to follow her until she stops.


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

After Nyssa left Palmer Technologies, she went to her home and put on her battle gear. As she did this, she steeled herself. She knew she's going to die now that Oliver is completely transformed into Al Sah-Him and her father's new heir. However, she's not going to go down without a fight. She also decided to select to go to the place where Sara was killed by Thea due to Malcolm Merlyn's influence. She took her bow and her sword, took a deep breath and headed toward the rooftop of her beloved's demise.

As soon as she reached the rooftop, Nyssa just stood there, silent and overlooking Starling City. She knew that the League had been tracking her movements and most likely the assassins are now heading back to Al Sah-Him to inform him as to where she was. All she had to do was wait…

~o~o~o~o~o~

Abdul was patrolling and looking for Nyssa Al Ghul when he found her at a garden rooftop. As soon as he found her, he moved away in order to keep distance so that Nyssa could not hear him and dialed Sarab's number on his smart phone.

"_Sarab, Nyssa is on the garden rooftop where Ta-er Al-Sahfer was killed." _Abdul said, reporting Nyssa's location.

"_Thank you, Abdul. Standby." _Sarab said over the phone.

"_My lord, Nyssa has been found." _Sarab said as Al Sah-Him had his hands behind his back and staring at the long corridor of the Headquarters of the League.

"_Where?" _Al Sah-Him asked as he turned around to face Sarab.

"_Abdul said that Nyssa is on the garden rooftop where Ta-er Al-Sahfer was murdered." _ Sarab said before asking, _"Your orders, Warith Al Ghul?"_

"_Tell the Assassins to return to base." _Al Sah-Him said to Sarab. "_I'm going to face Nyssa alone."_

"_Are you sure about this?" _Sarab said inquiring Al Sah-Him. He had a point. Nyssa is dangerous and knows League secrets more than anyone. He thought that it would be better for them to all go and capture Nyssa Al Ghul.

"_Yes." _Al Sah-Him replied with confidence. Nyssa has a high reputation within the League as she was the former Heir to the Demon. Al Sah-Him thought to himself that he had to do this on his own in order to completely earn the League's respect. Sure, the League respects him because of fear of Ra's Al Ghul's punishment if they don't but Al Sah-Him wants the Assassins to respect him because of his innate skill, power, fortitude and ability to lead.

"_This is a bad idea. At least, let me come with you." _Sarab said, worried for his charge. He was supposed to be protecting Al Sah-Him but it seems that his 'charge' is making it difficult for him to do so.

"_No, I'm going out there alone and this is the last time I am going to say this." _Al Sah-Him said, more assertive this time.

Sarab understood that tone of voice which made him back off and let Al Sah-Him do what he wants to do. After all, the last time he defied Al Sah-Him, he almost died and he would not want to experience that again.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Nyssa had been waiting on the rooftop for some time when she felt a presence there. Even though Al Sah-Him had been extremely quiet, assassins of the highest order usually feels presences in their surroundings rather than sounds and Nyssa has this ability. After quickly looking over her shoulder, she looked ahead again before stating, _"This is where my beloved's spirit departed this world. Do you even remember Sara or has my father already obliterated her from your memory?"_

Al Sah-Him remained expressionless, however, his hands were clenched as if preparing for something that even he, himself, cannot yet pinpoint. He then said as a response to Nyssa, _"I'm here to bring you back to Nanda Parbat."_

Nyssa then turned in order to face him and then said, _"To face justice? If so, for what crime? To face vengeance? If so, for what offense?"_

"_You told me vengeance is justice." _Al Sah-Him replied, trying to remain as expressionless as possible so as not to give Nyssa any ideas about his current state of mind.

"_And you bested me in battle. That won't happen again." _Nyssa quickly replied and immediately fired a succession of arrows which made Al Sah-Him run in order to avoid them.

When Nyssa, unsheathed her sword, it was Al Sah-Him's turn to fire arrows towards Nyssa in order to close the gap between them. When Al Sah-Him was close enough, he unsheathed his sword just in time to block Nyssa's attempt to hit his torso. Al Sah-Him, being the tactician that he is, used a smoke bomb near Nyssa in order to blind her. With Nyssa's eyes impaired, he then continued to parry and attack Nyssa with fervor until he was able to strike Nyssa's sword downwards with his brute force and making Nyssa lose her footing before completely disarming her, punching her right in the face and placing his sword on her throat at the edge of the rooftop.

"_Do it. If I were to die, I would have it on the same ground as Sara." _Nyssa, said with panic and fear in her tone of voice. However, she was coming to grips that she is going to die, right here, right now, right at this very rooftop.

As Al Sah-Him was contemplating on what to do, he heard a screech that almost shattered his eardrums. He dropped his hood, quickly stood up, and turned around to see The Black Canary and Diggle, with his gun pointing towards him. Al Sah-Him remained calm and motionless, he was assessing the situation as he always did. It was this skill that kept him alive for so long.

As he stood there, he heard Diggle say, _"We can't let you hurt her man."_

He continued to assess the situation. He knew that he could take out both Diggle and the Canary but it would give Nyssa time to gather her weapons and continue to engage him which would leave him at a disadvantage. Knowing this, he leapt off of the building, shot a cable arrow and disappeared from sight.


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

On his way back to the League Headquarters in Starling City, Al Sah-Him felt conflicted. On the one end, he knew what he had to do and that is to get to Nyssa Al Ghul somehow. On the other end, he needed to get to Nyssa through Oliver's old friends. Since he had a job to do, he had to go through with it.

Upon returning to the League Headquarters, Sarab was already waiting for him before stating, _"There was doubt you would return…" _Sarab then turned his head towards the assassins that have been gathered before facing him again and continuing, "_But not from me_." After all, he learned just how ruthless Al Sah-Him could be and would not want to be anywhere near the tip of his blade again in the near future. Sarab then asked, "_What happened?"_

For Al Sah-Him, hearing from Sarab that some assassins were still in doubt of his abilities against Nyssa, this made him more determined than ever to prove them all wrong. He would eventually find out who these assassins were that doubted his abilities but for now, he had to focus on the task at hand. When Sarab asked him what happened, he then replied, _"Nyssa, had friends."_

"_I warned you not to face her alone. These friends of Nyssa's, are they friends of yours?" _Sarab then said to him. Al Sah-Him realized that Sarab was right even before his return. He did not expect that his former team would be helping Nyssa and because of this, he had to revise his plan of taking care of Nyssa. When he was asked whether or not Nyssa was being protected by his former friends, he did not respond directly. However, he said instead, with determination clearly shown in his face, _"They'll be protecting her now. We need to draw her out."_

Al Sah-Him then proceeded to walk towards the assassins who were waiting for the next command. He stopped just in front of them before saying to Sarab and the assassins who are present. _"Sarab, I want you to capture Laurel Lance and bring her here, unharmed. I expect Nyssa to be with her so bring at least 7 assassins with you. Once you have Laurel and if Nyssa is present or nearby, inform her to meet me at Fullerton and Halstead tomorrow evening and threaten her that if she doesn't comply, we will kill the sister of her beloved. Now go!" _Al Sah-Him said with conviction and determination in his voice. He knew he was playing dirty but he had to do it in order to draw Nyssa out from wherever she was hiding.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Nyssa returned to her hideout and she was followed by Laurel. Nyssa had been cut, battered and bruised in the fight that he had with Oliver. She had to admit, Al Sah-Him had gone far in his training than what she would have liked and even besting her with a sword. Albeit he used a smoke bomb to blind her, but still, she was impressed, at the same time fearful of Al Sah-Him's ingenuity, battle tactics, and current power within the League.

As she was bandaging up her hand, she heard footsteps and Nyssa knew that it was Laurel going through the door. Without looking up, she said, _"You should not have interfered."_

"_Well, I am sorry." _Laurel replied with a mixture of worry, agitation and concern in her tone of voice. She then continued, "_But I have lost a sister, a father, Oliver… there is no way that I was about to lose you too."_

"_You don't understand. You already have." _Nyssa replied, her voice strained by panic and fear. At this point, she needed Laurel to understand that she was marked for death the moment Oliver agreed to be the new 'Heir'. She then continued as she walked towards a towel and a basin of water located at a makeshift table that she made, _"I was marked for death the moment Oliver accepted my father's offer."_

Nyssa took the towel and took deep breaths in order to clear her head and suppress the panic and fear that she was now feeling. Once she felt relaxed enough, she faced Laurel and said to her, _"Laurel, these past few weeks… they've enlightened me." _She then remembered her experiences in Starling City which made her lips part into a small smile before continuing, "_To live a life outside of my father's rule, to be someone else even for just a little while brought me great happiness." _Nyssa turned serious again knowing her position and the weight that is placed upon it. _"But I am Daughter of the Demon." _She said as she placed the towel roughly onto the basin of water, washing it a little bit, before placing it on her neck where Al Sah-Him's sword cut it. Nyssa then continued to say, "_Happiness is not something that was ever meant for me."_

Laurel's heart shattered at hearing Nyssa's words. She felt extremely bad that Nyssa thought that she could never be happy. Everyone deserves happiness and despite dire circumstances, Laurel thought that Nyssa, at least, deserves happiness in the short time that she had known her. Unable to respond to Nyssa's comment, she decided to change the subject instead. _"I have known Oliver my entire life. We've been friends since childhood." _Laurel began to say while thinking about Oliver and her when they were kids, running around the playground somewhere on the Queen's mansion. She then turned serious and quite fearful of what Oliver had become before continuing, "_But tonight, I did not recognize him."_

Nyssa, turned her head and leaned it towards the damp towel in order to see Laurel in the corner of her eye and replied, _"I told you. He has been changed."_

"_Well, if he can change, they why can't you?" _Laurel replied with determination in her eyes and hoping that Nyssa would get the message and not give up. Laurel then left Nyssa to think about what she had said.

~o~o~o~o~o~

While Laurel was walking the streets of Starling City, only a short distance from Nyssa's hideout, 4 assassins dropped from the nearest building and surrounded her. She was able to fight off two assassins before she was hit on the arm which released her baton. Before she was hit on the head with a pole, she was able to scream out, _"NYSSA! NYSSA! HELP!" _

As Nyssa was tending her wounds, she heard a faint sound calling her name and by the urgency of the tone of voice, she realized that it was Laurel and she was in trouble. She didn't even bother with her armor but instead, she grabbed her sword and proceeded to where the sound was.

Upon reaching the sound, she saw Laurel bound, gagged, and unconscious. An assassin also had a sword on her neck. In front of the assassins was Sarab with his hand behind his back and his katana at his side.

"_What is this, Sarab?" _Nyssa demanded to know what was going on.

"_Warith Al Ghul delivers a message. If you want to see your beloved's sister alive, meet him at the warehouse on Fullerton and Halstead tomorrow evening." _Sarab replied before using a smoke bomb to disappear from sight. The other assassins did the same until only Nyssa, and the ultimatum, were all that was left.


	28. Chapter 28

OOC: Sorry that this chapter took so long. I was trying to organize my thoughts and trying to balance a lot of things in my life at the moment. Thank you guys for your patience.

CHAPTER 28

After the League left, Nyssa stood there motionless for a while. She was in a state of panic on the inside but remained stoic. This was the last thing she wanted. She did not want to go up against the League of Assassins though it seems, as of this time, she had no choice. She also knew that taking on the League alone was paramount to suicide. Even though she is Daughter of the Demon, her preferential treatment is no longer as strong when she was still considered as the Heir. Also, she was not stupid. She knew that if she had to face the League, she would need help. In this case, she thought that Oliver's former friends would be of help. She then left from where she stood and vanished in the darkness.

~o~o~o~o~o~

The rest of team Arrow had been on edge since Oliver's return. They still could not believe that their leader, friend, brother, had turned evil. However, they could not escape the fact that it was Oliver that they saw on that rooftop tonight. As such, they decided to stick together until they could figure out a way to get Oliver back. Diggle and Lyla agreed to allow Felicity to stay with them for the meantime as she was the most likely target for Oliver if he had indeed turned dark.

Upon arriving in John Diggle's apartment, they were greeted by Lyla, who was holding baby Sara in her arms fast asleep. _"Thanks for doing this," _Felicity remarked as she closed the door behind her and locked it, just to be sure. _"No problem." _Lyla replied to her, actually glad of the company. As Felicity was taking off her cloak and John was putting away his Glock, there was heavy knocking on the door. Both Diggle and Felicity looked apprehensive as to who it might be at this time of night. John then signaled Lyla to the other room, with a crying Sara because the commotion caused her to wake up, just to be safe. He then proceeded slowly towards the door, each step silent and with purpose. As he viewed the peep hole, he saw Nyssa Al Ghul, looking impatient and in a rush to say something. Diggle could feel the tension and the urgency in Nyssa's mannerisms so he opened the door to let her in.

"_We do not have much time." _Nyssa said as she allowed herself inside Diggle's apartment. She did not even recognize the people there when she continued her statement, _"Al-Sahim has kidnapped Laurel."_ Shocked at this statement, both Diggle and Felicity said, in unison, "_WHAT?"_

~o~o~o~o~o~

Al-Sahim was pacing waiting for the time in which he had to face Nyssa Al Ghul again. He knew that he was lucky tonight that he survived. His skills are still lacking and that had to be rectified. His thoughts were interrupted when Laurel started talking, while tied up to a chair in an undisclosed location within the headquarters of the League of Assassins.

"_What happened to you? John told me but…how could you become this?" _ Laurel said, pleading for Oliver to come back. She still could not accept that Oliver had been turned by the League to the dark side.

"_Quiet, it'll be over soon." _Al-Sahim responded, not wanting to hear any more of what Laurel had to say. Plus, her pleading was starting to annoy him and he wanted to be left with his thoughts at the moment.

However, Laurel did not get the message and continued, _"No. I genuinely want to know. How could a man with a good heart do this? How could a man who's been like a brother to—"_

"_QUIET!" _Al-Sahim screamed louder this time. He did not want to hear it anymore. Oliver Queen is in the past and he has no time for this type of talk.

However, Laurel was not deterred and after gathering her bearings after that outburst from Oliver, she continued, _"You know, John and I have been talking and he shared with me that when his brother died, a part of him died too. He said that his guilt from the loss of his brother outweighed everything. He admitted that a lot of people have tried to comfort him, or tried to fill that void, but no one was able to help him until he met you. He said that you changed his perspective. He said that you gave him hope and purpose again."_

Al-Sahim then stood still before Sarab came in and said, _"Come, you have other matters to attend to."_

Al-Sahim and Sarab then left and allowing the guards to watch over Laurel as they make their preparations because they heard that Nyssa was not coming alone and that her back-up happens to be Oliver's new friends.

~o~o~o~o~o~

"_John, we have to do something." _Felicity said in a state of panic. After all, Oliver was a completely new person and Felicity was the most vulnerable as she has no fighting skills.

"_Did he say what he wanted?" _Diggle asked as Nyssa stood in the middle of the room and became stoic, even though she was unsure of what she was doing.

"_Sarab, his bodyguard said to meet him at Fullerton and Halstead tomorrow evening." _She stated informing them of what is going to go down tomorrow.

"_Alright, I'm coming with you." _Diggle said as he heard the story. He understood the situation that they had to get to Oliver in order to help him. He actually did not care for Nyssa as much because of her affiliations with the League but Diggle always thought of Oliver as a brother and would do whatever it takes to help him.

"_I'm coming too." _Felicity said, finding her courage.

"_Felicity, I don't think you should go." _Diggle said. After all, Felicity has no fighting skills and if this comes to blows, she would be useless, not to mention at risk of losing her life.

"_John, it's my choice. Besides, maybe I can get through to Oliver." _Felicity said, being as resolute as she can. She is not giving up on Oliver. She knows that he will come back to her no matter what.

"_Fine. But if the fighting starts, get out of the way or find yourself a hiding spot and stay there." _Diggle then replied. He knew that it would be a bad idea to bring Felicity along but he also knew that someway, somehow, Felicity's going to be at the meeting anyway and it would be better if he knew that she was there. At least, he could monitor her if he knows her presence.

"_Lyla, maybe you should leave town with baby Sara for a week. With Oliver on the loose, none of us are safe and I wouldn't want to put you both at risk." _Diggle said as he turned to his wife.

"_Ok Johnny. Just be careful and come back to us, ok?" _Lyla said as she walked over to John and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"_I will." _John replied as their lips parted and their eyes were now staring longingly towards one another.

Lyla, then left the room to pack up her, and her baby's things, for the long road ahead while John, Felicity, and Nyssa tried to strategize their plan in order to save Laurel.


End file.
